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Maddie and Matt Happy Earth App Review

Posted by Brande on November 29, 2012
in Eco Friendly Products, Education, Family Stuff, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Kids Stuff, Reviews, Techie Stuff

The Maddie and Matt Happy Earth App is a free earth friendly app. It is a wonderful tool for teaching your kids about recycling and helping the Earth.

There are 5 different activities. “Spot the Difference” is 2 pictures side by side and you tap where is the difference is. Is it actually tricky, but fun. Below is my Maddie and Matt Happy Earth App review.

Maddie and Matt Happy Earth App Review

Here is “Create your Own Happy Earth”. Which you drag and drop face parts to make a happy Earth.

Then there is “Segregation Game”. This one you drag and drop the trash into the correct can. If you choose the wrong can, it “throws” the trash back.

With “Choose a Screen” you select a bubble. When the screen changes it take you to Matt and/or Maddie and teaches you about conservation. For example, if you chose “Conservation of Water” – Maddie and Matt would tell you to turn off the faucet when washing dishes.

“Earth Facts” is very cool. By giving you 10 fact. When you select a fact it will show more about that fact.

Did you know the Earth is 4.6 Billion years old? Now, that’s what I call a bonfire! (Editor’s note: The Gould family does not believe the earth is 4.6 billion years old. That is what evolution teaches. We hold to the biblical view of creation which teaches the earth is actually only 7,000-10,000 years old.)

As an adult I really enjoyed learning more about the Earth and Conservation. This type of app I would suggest for kids 6 years or older. My daughter is 4 and doesn’t understand all of this information yet. But, this is a fantastic app for your older kids.

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

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Melissa & Doug Terrific Twenty List and Giveaway

Posted by Brande on November 8, 2012
in Blog Stuff, Books, Deals, Education, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Giveaways, Holidays, Kids Stuff, Kids Toys, News Worthy, Parenting, Shopping

Head over to Melissa & Doug’s Facebook page to enter to win one of their Terrific Twenty! Then, don’t forget to visit Melissa & Doug’s Website to see all of the Terrific Twenty and the many other fabulous learning toys Melissa & Doug has!

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Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge #Brandcation #PigeonForge

Posted by html404 on October 13, 2012
in Blog Stuff, Education, Travel, Uncategorized

Wow. That’s how I’d describe the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge. It surprised me how sobering it was to walk through the museum. I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting it considering the Titanic was a tragic event but most museums I have visited only had certain exhibits sharing an devastating event in history briefly and intermixed with more fun and informative facts of joyful times. Know what I mean?

The museum was set up so visitors lined up to board the Titanic. Boarding passes and hand held audio devices are handed to each passenger. The unique thing about how this is done is passengers are given a boarding pass with the name of a real passenger who traveled on the Titanic. The boarding pass tells the story of the passenger. At the end of the “voyage” visitors find out if they survived their journey.

The name on my boarding pass? Emily R. and I cannot seem to find my boarding pass to give you more information. It’s not the first time I misplaced it either. I know one of my daughters got to read it. The whole purpose behind the boarding passes is for us to leave the museum and share our passenger’s story with others, especially our children, so they are not forgotten. The last Titanic survivor has died and only their offspring are left to carry on their legacy. By visiting the museum we help keep that legacy alive.

Inside the Titanic Museum

First class stateroom.

The infamous staircase.

The bridge.

On the deck there was a wall of ice we could touch and “troughs” of water along the edge of the deck. The same water was the same temperature the passengers of the Titanic would have experience upon being submerged into it.

Speaking of water, in the third class section of the Titanic Museum there was a stair well going up featuring water pouring down into the third class section.

The Memorial wall.

The Titanic Crew

And the crew certainly out did themselves during our visit to the museum. We were given VIP treatment that day. They served us a scrumptiously delicious breakfast buffet that everyone raved about.

The crew was funny, knowledgeable and very courteous.

We were even privileged to meet Mary Kellogg Joslyn, co-owner of the museum with her husband John Joslyn. She gave a short presentation that we thought was inspiring.

Brandcation Blog Cabin Bloggers at the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge

Photo courtesy of Kim at Brandfluential. All other photos are courtesy of the Titanic Museum, as no photos are allowed to be taken inside the museum by visitors.

A picture speak a thousand words and these do. Visit www.titanicpigeonforge.com for more amazing photos and coverage of the Titanic.

Companies may have provided media rate or media tickets to assist in facilitation of this article. Experiences are all real and all opinions are my own.

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Super-de-duper $10,000 Sweepstakes from GradSave

Posted by html404 on October 8, 2012
in Education, Gift Ideas, Saving Money, Thrifty Thursday, Uncategorized

Got little ones? Want to start saving for their college education? Then you’ll be interested to know about this $10000 Sweepstakes from GradSave, after all it’s never too early to start saving for college:

Be sure to read more about eligibility rules and prizes here. Odds of winning depends on how many entries received.

“I was compensated to share this information. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

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College Students Save Money with Textbook Rentals

Posted by html404 on September 13, 2012
in Books, Education, Saving Money, School, Thrifty Thursday

If you have ever gone to college or have a college aged student you know how expensive books can be. It’s important to be able to save as much money as possible while attending college to pay for loans, lodging, food and transportation. That’s why I wish we had the internet back when I went to college in the late 80’s early 90’s. I spent a lot of money on books.

Today college students can save money using textbook rental services. After all why buy a book you’ll only read once, right? Another plus with renting textbooks is not having to store books that will never be read again. How many of those do you have in your attic or garage? I know we still have some 20 years later! Campus Book Rentals offers a solution to these issues and incredible savings. Here are some of the benefits you’ll see right off:

-40-90% off of normal bookstore prices (This is better than wholesale!)
-free shipping both ways (Extra, extra!)
-freedom to highlight in the textbooks (Wow!)
-flexible rental periods
-Operation Smile receives money with each textbook rented (Bonus! Helping others while saving money, who can turn that down?)

Hope this helps many college students save money with textbook rentals.

Happy Thrifty Thursday!

I am being compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.

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Primrose School of Algonquin Mommy Mixer

Posted by Professor on September 1, 2012
in Community Issues, Education, Parenting, School

We were privileged to be invited to a “Mommy Mixer” at the Primrose School of Algonquin. The Primrose School opened their doors to area moms and gave us a day of engaging activities for the children and tours and information for the mommies!

Overall it was an enjoyable day. We began as a group and shared a music class, comparable to those the children experience every day at Primrose. My children we engaged and active during the class, it was a delight. The children then were broken up by age group and went to have fun with the teachers while the mommies were able to tour the building and learn more about the philosophy.

My children separated well, and there fore loved the activities that were planned for them…they did two crafts and played on their awesome playground facility. While the children played I was able to view all of the play/educational rooms at Primrose. They were very clean and organized. They felt welcoming and ready for children!

My sister accompanied me to the event. She has 3 little children who do not normally separate well … but at this event they did pretty well. Her 1 year old twins were engaged and receptive to being separated from mom. Her 3 year old separated well because he was with my children and they feel comfortable together. (Primrose had children separated the children in two rooms one for 2 and under and one for 3 and over).

While touring we were enlightened about the Primrose philosophy by the owner Laura. Primrose believes that with the right foundation anything is possible. At Primrose they provide the right foundation to Build Active Minds, healthy bodies, and Happy Hearts. They are able to do this by creating the right balance… laughing and learning…playing and exploring…talking and listening. This is a great philosophy because it mirrors my own philosophy with my children.

Primrose has educational full day programs for children 6 weeks to Kindergarten. (They have a private kindergarten). For those looking for only educational programs rather than a care option included they have half-day programs for toddlers through kindergarten that run up to 5 hours per day. They also have programs for 5-12 year olds who need before and after care…they call this their explorer club.

Overall… if you are considering a care option or a preschool/kindergarten option for your child Primrose is an excellent choice. They provide excellent care in a state of the art facility close to home.

To find more out about the Primrose School and their philosophy please visit their website http://www.primroseschools.com/OurSchools/Illinois/Chicago/Algonquin/Algonquin

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My First Farmers Almanac

Posted by Brande on August 30, 2012
in Books, Cleaning, Community Issues, Education, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Food and Treats, Gardening, Home, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Saving Money, Seasonal Stuff

I bought my first Farmers Almanac the other day and I can’t believe I didn’t buy it sooner!

I always thought the Farmers Almanac was all about the weather. Boy was I surprised when I found tons of fantastic information!

Yes, it does have weather information, BUT, on page 8 I found out how to get rid of weeds with out pulling or chemicals and it’s easy! You pour boiling water on them or use a mixture of dish washing liquid (5 tablespoons) and water (4 cups) in a spray bottle! I also learned how to make a “Homemade Jar Opener”, “No-Mess Baking”, ways to cut energy costs, how to save on gas, even a section on comfort foods (my favorite).

I plan on buying one every year! They are really a wealth of information!

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Chungaboo Language Series For iPad Review

Posted by Brande on August 26, 2012
in Books, Downloads, Ebooks, Education, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Kids Stuff, Reviews, School, Shopping

I love my apps! My daughter and I recently got this new app from Chungaboo Language Series (formally Lingo Slingo). The first selection is “Words” – the app will say bear and then toss about 5 cards with different pictures and your child needs to select the correct picture. If they select the wrong picture you get an “X” at the top of the screen. This app has a choice of 6 different languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish). In addition, there are achievements – in this section there is “All-Time Scoring”, Beginner’s Badge by Language, and Maestro Badge by Language (50 card streak). From this app you can also purchase – Animals, Travel, and coming soon is Color Door. They have teasers to let you try before you spend the money.

This is a great app for your preschoolers! My daughter will be 4 next month and really enjoys it. The Chungaboo app not only helps her connect words to pictures, but it helps with her motor skills by the cards moving. The music is not bad for parents either. This is a wonderful learning game for road trips! Check it out in your apps store! Sorry, I didn’t see anything for you android users.

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U by Kotex Tween Talkable Moments #KotexMom

Posted by html404 on August 24, 2012
in Education, Family Stuff, Girl Stuff, Parenting, Personal Care Products

Over the past few months I have been sharing my experience and thoughts about talkable moments with my daughters about their menstrual cycles, the facts of life and using U by Kotex Tween products and their website.

While I have always strived to discuss these all important topics naturally, inside I have struggled a little bit with knowing the right words to say. After all these are the facts of life we are talking about, not just random information and I want to be sure that I explain things in such a way that my girls “get it”, not to mention digest the correct information – from me, not anyone else.

Preparing for the Talkable Moments

Lots of talkable moments at our house seem to occur either when I have the girls one on one in the car or one, two or all of them sprawled all over my bed or in the living room late at night. These moments seem to happen naturally for us. It’s rare that I deliberately set a time aside, though I must say I probably should do more of that with my busy work schedule. I certainly want my girls to know that I am accessible.

Breaking the ice for “big talks” never has been an issue for us. For the most part my girls come to me and ask me any questions that come up while they are on their period and the one who has yet to start asks me some questions but tends to ask her “twin” (they are 14.5 months apart) and her “twin” directs her to me.

I gave the girls each a little sack recently for them to carry extra pads and personal items in. They really liked this little gift. I think this is one way to break the ice on talks. I did at one point give one daughter a starter kit of sorts and remember her asking what each thing was for, but I don’t think she completely understood until she started her cycle, which is understandable.

I think bonding moments can occur when we deliberately set aside time to talk about questions our girls might have or to share resources and tools they can read and explore with you. Take Kotex.com/Tween for example, just taking my girls to this site and showing them how to navigate different topics and discussions opened up the door for us to have a very open talk and for me to find out where they are at with their understanding of the different issues we have already covered in other conversations. See Hello Period for specific topics.

Bonding Moments

Bonding with my daughters has become more challenging the older they grow or at least that’s how I find it as I am working part-time to full-time hours. It takes more effort on my part to concentrate and be focused on them when my mind is going in a million different directions. As I said before those moments come in the car or on our bed when we are just shooting the breeze. It’s amazing what children can come out with once the realize they have your full attention.

Sensitive Topics and Comfort Level

Most of my girls will tell me like it is. If they think something is gross, they’ll say just that or if I’ve talked too much, I’ll be told, “Too much information, Mom.” Then I know to stop or let it be for another time when they are ready. I hate to come across as having a perfect relationship with my girls because we are far from perfect, but for the most part, depending on the day we do have really good relationships. I do worry sometimes and hope I am giving them the information they need to transition into womanhood successfully.

What are your talkable, bonding moments with your daughter(s)?

“I wrote this review while participating in a Brand Ambassador Campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of U by Kotex Tween and received products to facilitate my post and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

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Back to School With Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA)

Posted by Professor on August 10, 2012
in Community Issues, Education, Family Stuff, Giving Back/Charity, News Worthy

Back to school season is here! I know we are in full swing around our house! The children have gathered and packed their school supplies in anticipation of the first day of school…and today we finally got our teacher assignment!

What are some of the things you do to prepare your children to head back to school?

I know we are a fortunate family in being able to clothe and supply our children for the upcoming school year. But we also remember that there are those less fortunate than ourselves and as a family have always participated in programs that assist unfortunate families during the back to school season.

There are many local, national, and global organizations that you can pick from to help the less fortunate…but Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA) is a great organization that assists children in need.

This year Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA) and Disney have partnered to launch the Tools for Back to School initiative. This initiative features a pop-quiz style game, where supplies are donated to BGCA for every correct answer you score.

This is a fun way to give back to the community without leaving your home…plus the kids can play too! Here is the link: http://www.bgca.org/backtoschool/Pages/Landing.aspx

I just played the trivia game and got all the answers correct! Can you beat my score? Reminder that each 5 correct answers = school supplies for a club kid!

The BGCA has also partnered with JCPenney – and in August you can join JCP cares and round up your purchase at the register to benefit BGCA. So…take a trip over to your local JCP, get the kids some back to school clothes and a free hair cut (JCP is giving away free haircuts in the month of August). Visit JCP website for more information: http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom/jsp/browse/marketing/promotion.jsp?pageId=pg40013300014

Well I hope you are getting yourself and your children ready for the start of a new school season! Whether your children are home schooled or attend a traditional school remember that the BGCA website offers different educational content and tip sheets for parents to download and utilize. You can find them on the left hand side of the BGCA site under the ‘Get Ready’ header. You can find these handy tools here:

http://www.bgca.org/backtoschool/Pages/Landing.aspx

BGCA has really outdone themselves with tips for parents and children. I especially like the time management tip sheet that they have available. Do not forget to check the Get Ready section and see if any of the materials can work for you!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Boys and Girls Club. I received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”