Parenting Children

With my six year old daughter writing signs that say “reduce, reuse, recycle” around the house, we try to remember to do our part. We recycle, we use energy star appliances, we mostly wash our clothes in cold water, but bottled water? That was our downfall.
We use bottled water often and those leftover plastic bottles, really add up.

Enter BioGreen bottles, the original biodegradeable bottle. From their site: “Our BioGreen BottlesTM made from low density poly ethylene (LDPE) plastic with EcoPure additive is the best “green” solution available for sports bottles. This additive creates an accelerated biodegradable cycle which occurs in the common anaerobic environment you find in landfills or compost facilities. EcoPure additive is completely organic, non-starch based and non-destructive to the environment. EcoPure is Non-toxic and actually helps the environment. The final product left behind with EcoPure is Humus and Methane (Bio-Mass and Bio-gas). The humus can be used as new soil to grow plants in and the methane may be harvested into fuel.”

Their line of bottles are made with soft, easy to squeeze
LDPE plastic material with EcoPure additive and feature a exclusive leakproof DuoFlow Lid. They are completely Biodegradable, Recyclable, Reusable and are made from post industrial Recycled Material. My kids think they are easy to use, they are light, and they love carrying them around with them. I love that the small kid’s line has a tethered lid so the top will never get lost.
I also love that we are no longer using bottled water and put our filtered water right into these awesome bottles.

Want your own?
They are available in 5 colors with a BioGreen logo, and in stock eco-friendly graphic art designs. BioGreen bottles can be purchased on Amazon.

Want to win a set of BioGreen bottles?
Biogreen has generously donated 2 toddler bottles and 2 adult bottles to two lucky Parenting Our Children readers!

To Enter: Visit BioGreenbottles.com and tell me something else you learned that I didn’t mention in this post AND tell me if you would like to win the toddler or adult set of bottles.

Contest ends June 1 at midnight EST.
Winner will be chosen at random. Open to U.S.

BioGreen, BioGreen bottles, water bottles, safe water bottles, recycling, keeping your home green, giveaways, parenting, healthy children, eco-friendly toddler products

I think it is about time to do another giveaway around here! I have a great giveaway for all of you Mothers out there but you don’t have to be a Mother to win this prize, you just have to have a Mom to win!
Each winner will receive a five amazing books. Here is the list of books:

Miracles of Motherhood: Prayers and Poems For a New Mother Popular author and speaker June Cotner serves up another generous helping of the uplifting inspiration that readers have come to love and cherish in her previous anthologies. She offers sustenance for a young mother’s soul with carefully arranged prayers, spiritual poetry, and reflections to bring them comfort, inspiration, and joy. It is the perfect gift book for mothers as they contemplate the meaning of motherhood and celebrate one of the most important rites of passage for women–a life-altering, incomparable experience that presents both tremendous challenges and rewards. MIRACLES OF MOTHERHOOD offers encouragement and support for mothers where they need it most–the heart

Odd Mom Out By Jane Porter
Advertising executive Marta Zinsser is no poster child for her wealthy Seattle suburb-and nothing could please her more. This former New Yorker wears combat boots, not Manolos, and drives a righteous Harley hog instead of a Mercedes SUV. Now she’s launching her own agency in this land of the Microsoft elite, even though her ten-year-old daughter wishes she’d put on a sweater set and just be normal.
Can this ex-urbanite remain uniquely herself without alienating the inner circle of smug, cookie-cutter executive wives? And when push comes to shove, can she stop being the proud odd mom out and take a chance at something frighteningly-and tantalizingly-new?

Mommy Grace By Sheila Schuller Coleman
In Mommy Grace: Erasing Mommy Guilt, Sheila Schuller Coleman offers overwhelmed moms short but emotive stories of authentic motherhood from her own and others’ experiences-foibles and all-and offers comfort by showing how God makes up for human weakness with His own strength.
Because Sheila shares lessons learned the hard way by real moms rather than giving difficult instructions for better mothering, readers will leave the book feeling encouraged rather than lectured.
For every mom who feels she’s not quite up to the colossal job of parenting, MOMMY GRACE is full of hope and compassion.

Beginner’s Greek By James Collins
Is love at first sight possible or just an old-fashioned romantic idea? And what if, to further complicate things, you meet the love of your life and then lose her phone number? Then what if, after the impossible happens and you find her again, she’s now about to marry a roguish lothario who is also your best friend?

The Road Home By Rose Tremain
In the wake of factory closings and his beloved wife’s death, Lev makes his way from Eastern Europe to London, seeking work to support his mother and his little daughter. After a spell of homelessness, he finds a job in the kitchen of a posh restaurant and a room in the house of an appealing Irishman who has already lost his family. However constricted his life in England remains, he compensates by daydreaming of home, by having an affair with a younger restaurant worker, and by trading gossip and ambitions via cell phone with his hilarious friend Rudi, who, dreaming of the wealthy West, lives largely for his battered Chevrolet.
Homesickness dogs Lev, not only for nostalgic reasons, but because he doesn’t belong, body or soul, to his new country–but can he really go home again? Rose Tremain’s prodigious talents as a prose writer are on full display in THE ROAD HOME, and her novel never loses sight of what is truly important in the lives we lead.

How would you like to win and treat yourself to a little librabry of books worth over $80.00 perfect for every Mom, Grandmother or Mom-to-be? I have THREE sets to giveaway.
I like simple giveaways so here are the rules:
CONTEST NOW CLOSEDTo enter, leave a comment on this post telling me which book you would read first

Extra Entries: (Leave a separate comment for each one!)
-Follow me on Twitter AND tweet this giveaway. Comment with a link to your tweet. (You can do this daily!)
-Stumble this blog (not this post) and leave your user name.
-Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to it.
-Favorite this blog on Technorati

Contest ends May 30th at midnight EST.
Winners will be chosen at random. Open to U.S. and Canada residents only.
Good luck!

giveaways, mother’s day giveaway, book giveaways, moms, parenting, book reviews, great summer books, new moms, Hachette books

As a child I was an avid reader and my parents loved it, little did they know it would be their downfall.
When I was 8 I was reading “Are You There God, It’s me Margaret” By Judy Blume. All girls know this book it is about, basically, periods. I remember sitting in the backseat of my parent’s car driving to my great Aunt’s house for Easter dinner. I came on the word “menstruation”. I didn’t know what it meant so I asked my parents.
My father turned down the car radio and said “What did you say?”
“What does men-STRU-ation mean?”
My parents looked at each other and my mom said “we will talk about it later”
“But how can I read this book, when they keep talking about menstruation, it PERTAINS TO THE STORY!”
“We can talk about it later!” my mom repeated.

I was pissed. She was ruining my book.

My Little Red Book is an anthology of stories about first periods, collected from women of all ages from around the world. Some of the stories are hilarious and others are sad. I loved this book and plan on sharing it with my daughter when she is ready for “the talk“.
It is a book I wish I had when I was a teenager. I think it is a great conversation starter for girlfriends or mothers and daughters.

Lucky for you I have FIVE copies of My Little Red Book to give away!

Think back to your first period, was it shocking or were you ready and prepared for it? I want to hear your first period stories for a chance to win a copy of this great book.

Leave a comment here by 11:59 March 1st.
Open to US residents and Canada and sorry, no PO boxes.

My Little Red Book, periods, your first period, menstruation, woman, giveaways, book reviews, reviews, Rachel Kauder-Nalebuff

Feeding my kids was much easier when they were younger, I fed them what I wanted them to eat, and they did. Now they are a little more picky and they want different things. I have my ways of sneaking in extra fruits and veggies when I can, but I am lucky my kids do like vegetables more than other kids their age.

I know my kids love raw veggies with dressing or yogurt. Inspired by a study which found that children consumed 23 percent more vegetables when paired with a moderate amount of ranch dressing, the makers of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings created the Love Your Veggies™ campaign as a way to help parents and educators get children eating and enjoying their vegetables.
HIdden Valley ranch dressing is a favorite with my husband and kids and now they have a great contest going on.

Check out www.LoveYourVeggies.com, to sign up for the Search for the Veggie Champions contest. In partnership with Chef Art Smith, the makers of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings want to identify, help and reward moms who are true vegetable advocates through the Love Your Veggiesâ„¢ “Search for Veggie Champions Contest.”
For 10 lucky moms, Chef Smith and other experts will lead a two-day retreat aimed at learning and sharing tips and tools on planting, harvesting, cooking and eating vegetables with children. These moms will also receive $5,000 to start or maintain a community vegetable garden in their hometown!

What a great way to start a community garden. Thanks to Mom Central for telling me about this great contest and web site.

Healthy eating, feeding kids, Hidden Valley ranch, Love Your Veggies, Mom Central, vegetables for kids

Everytime I go to the grocery store I can’t believe how much the price of food has gone up. Meat, eggs, produce and coffee has all gone up and there is no end in sight. It is getting more expensive to feed my family and I am always looking for ways to save some money or at least stretch my dollar further.

Kellogg’s cereal is a staple in my house, my twins LOVE cereal. Of course Kellogg’s is more than just cereal, their family includes Keebler, Famous Amos and Morning Star.
Without Kellogg’s there would be no rice krispies and life without rice krispies treats wouldn’t be worth living! We love making them as a family and eating them too. A great family time idea and perfect for a rainy day activity.
Check out The Kellogg’s home page for coupons on your next cereal purchase.

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED, CONGRATULATIONS TO COMMENT #30 JANET!
WIN IT! Kellogg’s has generously offered a giveaway to one of Parenting Children’s readers. You could win a Rice Krispies Treat ceramic tray and a complete Rice Kripsies making kit which includes a big red bowl with the cereal, measuring cups and a spoon all tied up with a big red bow! Fabulous, I wish I had one!
Leave a comment here on your favorite Kellogg’s cereal and you will be entered to win.
For an extra entry twitter about this giveaway and leave me your twitter name in a a separate comment.
Giveaway ends on December 3rd. Open to US addresses only.

Remember to check out my other giveaway here.

cereal, feeding a family on a budget, Kellogg’s, Kellogg’s cereal, rice krispie treats, baking with kids, giveaways, parenting, parenting children

Congratulations to these five winners of The Self Esteem Trap:
Genevieve, Megret, Reeva, Stephanie and Alice!
For all of those who didn’t win, hang on I have other great giveaways soon!

Raising children is as hard as I thought it would be. Since I have b/g twins I can see the differences, their struggles and challenges right before my eyes. Right now I find it harder to parent my daughter and I so want to help her grow into a self confident, healthy woman without all of the body issues and wanting to please traps that girls get caught up in. When I had the chance to review The Self Esteem Trap Raising Confident and Compassionate Kids in an Age of Self-Importance By Polly Young-Eisendrath, I jumped at the chance.

The first thing that struck me when reading this book, was that I recognized from my life, many of the examples given whether it was a helicopter parent or the child who demands everything- and gets it. There are so many people in my workplace that could not handle negative feedback or disappointment on any level, Dr. Young-Eisendrath says that parents are the main cause of this problem.
You have to agree that parenting children thirty years ago is very different from the way we parent today. Everyone gets a trophy on the team, we try to give our children every advantage and we excuse their behaviors.

I thought by telling my children how they are unique and special and making them feel great about themselves it would build their self esteem, this book tells me that this parenting technique is the opposite of what I should be doing because this may be making them expect this type of treatment throughout their lives and setting them up for disappointment.

When I finished reading The Self Esteem Trap I gave it to my husband to read and next up is my sister. I think this was an immensely valuable, and engaging book for guiding my children to be more empathetic, healthy and independent adults.

I think this book is a such an important parenting and self improvement tool that I am giving away FIVE copies courtesy of Hachette Book Group USA!

To enter to win one of the five copies, leave a comment on this post with your e-mail address. If you would like to double your chances, blog about this contest with a link back to this post! The contest will run until Monday October 13th at 11:59 p.m. EST.
This contest is open to the U.S. and Canada only.

parenting, children teens, parenting children, kids, The Parenting Trap, book giveaway, giveaways, children’s self esteem, raising kids

When my kids are home all summer long they are constantly eating. I think it has to do with all the fresh air and energy they are expending. I am always trying to keep healthy, fun snacks in the house for them. We even sometimes make them together and that gives us something to do inside and gets them to experiment with cooking and baking! Here are some great snack ideas and recipes for you and your family:

Peanut Butter Snack Mix

3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons peanut butter
4 cups Chex cereal assorted
2 cups mini pretzels
1/3 cup peanuts or any kind of nuts you would like

Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 175F.

2. Combine honey, butter and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until smooth. Combine cereal, pretzels and peanuts in a large bowl. Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal mixture and toss to coat. Spread on baking sheet and bake for 1 and 1/2 hours.

Watermelon-Cucumber SalsaI

1 1/2 cups diced and seeded watermelon
1 cup diced, peeled cucumber
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and serve!

Apple Chips

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more to taste)
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of nutmeg
1 large crisp apple, such as Braeburn or Granny Smith
Preheat oven to 200 degrees, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

1)Stir together the dry ingredients in a small bowl, then sprinkle half the mixture onto the baking sheet.

2)Cut the apple into slices as thin as possible, up to 1/8 inch. (You don’t need to peel or core it; the seeds will just fall off.) If you have a mandoline, cut the apple vertically into rounds.

3)Arrange the slices on the baking sheet in one layer. Sprinkle the remaining spice mixture over the apples, then bake in the middle of the oven for 11/2 hours. Rotate the pan and bake for another hour, or until the apples are crisp. (If yours aren’t getting crisp enough, try turning off the heat and leaving them in the oven overnight.)

4)Loosen the chips with a spatula, then cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the parchment. They’ll keep in an airtight container for up to one week.

What are you kid’s favorite snacks?

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway by 12 midnight tonight for a great organic tote bag!

[tags[ snacks, snacks for kids, parenting, family, cooking with kids, SAHM [/tags]

I am sick. Actually my son is also sick, and he gave it to me, so we are down two family members this week. Moms don’t get sick days and when you have a sick kid on top of it, well it is trouble. My son has a cough and a low fever so we have been using tylenol for his fever at night and honey for his cough which has worked better then over the counter cough syrup!
Being pregnant and sick is the most helpless feeling. Since I am pregnant I can’t take many medications but when my asthma kicked in I had to go on steroids to kick this infection and make sure the baby is getting enough oxygen. If I can’t breathe, neither can the baby.

My husband has been a big help, without his help around here, I don’t know what I would do. We are trying to keep he and my daughter healthy and unaffected by these colds!
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Onto bigger and better things lets get to the winners of my personalized fruit rollup contest! Thank you for all who participated, it was so much fun to read all of the amazing valentines sent and received! I hope your Valentine’s Day this year is as sweet!

The winners numbers were chosen by random.org.
Commenter #7 Mama Zen, #12 stacey moore and #18 Julie Mead! I will email each of you with your code later today, so you can order your own fruit rollup!

contest, sickness, sickness and pregnancy, pregnancy, kids sick kids, keeping kids healthy

I know Valentine’s Day is a made up holiday but I can’t resist the red and pink home made valentines, the candy hearts and the beautiful flowers. Valentine’s Day was something my mom always made special for us. We would get a shirt or a small toy and would always get some chocolate. She also would something special for us in our lunchbox. I want to do the same for my kids so when Mom Central told me about myfruitrollups.com I knew I had to explore it for Valentine’s Day!

You can go on www.myfruitrollups.com and design and order your fruit Roll-Ups valentines. It is so simple to do, you pick a design you like, it doesn’t have to be a valentine, they have pictures for birthdays, Easter, spring, Halloween and many more. Then you pick either another graphic or write a personalized message. Happy Birthday, Be Mine, what ever you want. You can even pick out the color of your font and pictures! I have to admit I had so much fun designing one for my kids.

Are you as excited about this as I am? WIN a personalized fruit roll up of your own, a $30 value! Leave me a comment here telling me the sweetest Valentine message that you have sent or received by January 28th at midnight and I will award THREE readers a code for a free one! If you can’t wait, order your own by February 2nd to get one in time for Valentine’s Day and use the code BEMINE to get $10 your order!
So go ahead and let me know your sweetest Valentine!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED I WILL POST THE WINNERS LATER TODAY 1/29!

my fruit rollups, personalized fruit rollups, Valentine’s day, kids, parenting, valentine’s day gifts for kids, contests, valentine’s day contests

Being at home with kids all winter long is not nearly as fun as it sounded like when I was working full time before kids. It is hard work, monotonous and boring. Getting housework done is nearly impossible when trying to entertain two kids and forget about trying to get to repairs and remodels. We have wanted to remodel one of our bathrooms since we bought our home. There is just never enough time or money.

You may not have enough time or money either but you can win the chance to “relax, restore and renew� and win a full room makeover from Kimberly-Clark products. Chances are you have Kimberly-Clark products in your home right now, they are the name behind Kleenex, Kotex, Scott, Huggies and more. From January 28 to February 15, one person per weekday will be announced on The View and win $25,000 to renovate any room in their house! Oh the possibilities! Enter daily here for your chance to win this amazing prize.

Tell me what room in your house would you renovate if you won this prize and why?

moms, SAHM, room a day makeover, Kimberly-Clarke products, remodeling a home, parenting

Congratulations to Anne and Rachel, our two winners from our Rockabye Baby Lullaby CD giveaway!
I will be contacting you shortly for your addresses!

Check back for more giveaways coming soon!

Any parent knows that kids songs, are usually just for kids. I know I want to poke my ears out hearing “Cinderella” sing some day my prince will come or some high pitched kid singing pop goes the weasel, over and over again. The same goes for lullabies.
We would play classical piano music instead of traditional lullabies for our kids, because if we had to listen to it, we at least wanted to enjoy it! I guess you can say we are music snobs, but how much can you take?

Rockabye Baby! saved our day. Rockabye Baby is not traditional lullabies, but rock classics that YOU love that are transformed into beautiful instrumental lullabies. Everyone from The Rolling Stones to Metallica to Coldplay are reconstructed into lullabies using instruments like the glockenspiel, vibraphone, mellotron, harp and bells.
Yeah, I don’t know what they are either, but it sounds amazing.

The kind people of Rockabye Baby sent us a few CDs to check out and we were instantly in love. My husband sings Pink Floyd songs to our kids every night, and he loved the Pink Floyd cd more then my kids did. I even caught him bringing it in his car to listen to while at work.
The Nirvana cd turned all of my favorite Nirvana songs into music for little ears. They are beautiful, calming music that would be perfect for any baby and the parents that love them.

Do you want one of these cds for your very own? You are in luck, I have two Baby Rock Christmas cds to give away. Filled with rock classics like 2000 Miles and Do They Know It’s Christmas? I am sure you will love it so much you won’t just listen to it at Christmas time.
To enter to win one of these cds simply leave me a comment on this post!
Deadline for this contest is midnight November 23. Good Luck!

baby lullabies, lullabies for kids, rock lullabies, Rockabye Baby, cds for kids and parents, contests, parenting, parenting children

5 minutes for mom is having another great giveaway. In honor of breast cancer awareness month Casio is giving away an adorable pink digital camera.
Learn more about breast cancer and how you can help the fight against it here.

I so love Skimbaco the upscale children’s boutique. So when I heard there was a contest over here at So A Blonde Walks Into a Review for a $100 gift certificate to Skimbaco, I had to enter.

Also, 5 minutes for Mom is giving away a pink Dyson vacuum cleaner!
Go enter these great contests!

giveaways, children’s clothing, designer children’s clothes