Archive for Parenting

Over The Moon – The Broadway Lullaby Project

My daughter and I went on an inspiring and peaceful musical journey with Over the Moon – The Broadway Lullaby Project and I invite you to join us. This book and CD are not only fantastic for bed and nap time, it is very calming for adults also.

The Book  – Over the Moon – The inside cover says it best…

It’s often said that “a picture speaks a thousand words,” that “music is the universal language,” that “all the world’s a stage,” and that lullabies fill the special place where babies and those who love them come together.

I’ve never read such a true statement. This 48 page hardcover book is beautifully illustrated and written by many artists, each donating their time for the Over the Moon Book and CD. The CD is attached to the back of the book.

The CD – Pop this 2 CD set of 13 songs each in your player.  Sit down and close your eyes and let the music take you on a voyage. The calming flow of the music will take you and your little one away on a mini vacation.  All the artists on the CD have beautiful melodic voices, including Vanessa Williams.

As is said earlier everyone has donated their time for Over The Moon-The Broadway Lullaby Project, which will raise money for breast cancer charities including the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Yound Survival Coalition.

Visit the Over the Moon Website to purchase your collaboration today!  You can also visit them on Facebook and Twitter.

This is such a wonderful book and CD. My daughter and I have listened to the CDs many times and we have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of them.  Perfect for a new baby or baby shower gift!

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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U by Kotex Beginning Period Discussions


The Talk. The Birds and the Bees. Period. Sex. The Passage of Becoming a Woman. Menstrual Cycle. Puberty. Whatever name you have dubbed it, if you have daughters, discussing a woman’s cycle is inevitable. My husband and I basically have three teen daughters (it will be official next year when our third daughter turns 13) in the house. I talked a bit about our beginning period discussions with my daughters here. As much as I hate to admit it, I am an older mom now in my 40’s- don’t feel like it though! ;) – and know I have moms in their 20’s reading. I am hoping this post will be provide insight or ideas or maybe encouragement to you, especially if your own mother did not model how to go about having period discussions. A lot of moms feel inadequate, don’t we all at some point?

Due to my own mom’s lack of initiative in this area, I actually chose to be quite open and honest with my own children about our bodily functions and God’s purpose for them. From the time my oldest was old enough to know what my maxi pads were, she knew what they were for and where to get them for me if I happen to start and not have any in the bathroom.

I have always waited for my children to ask questions or for the topic of sex, man/woman relationships or periods to come up naturally, unless the opportunity arose that I could bring it up in a natural way. When these issues were discussed, I gave them enough information for their age, the time frame we had and topic of conversation. I found if I talked too much I lost my older daughter, if she asked more questions after a brief response then I tried to answer with more information. For the longest time with one specific question I responded with, “I know you want to know the answer to that but mommy just isn’t ready yet to tell you, but I will when you are older.” That day eventually came and it was as natural as a tea party. Seriously. We were sitting on our bed and it came up and I knew she was ready, I was ready and I think even her sister was there and I told them. There was no awkwardness, not until after the fact when I worried that I might not have explained it as best as I could.

The topics we discussed depended on the girls’ questions and how our conversation evolved. We would cover how much bleeding would happen, what they were to do if they happened to start away from home, where we would keep our supplies, how long a period lasted and probably more I can’t think of.

I actually did give them Maidens by Design to look over, with the intentions of us all doing it together, but we never did. If they had questions, they’d ask after reading it on their own. Maidens by Design is a curriculum for mothers and daughters to work through together or host a class for a group of friends. Just a fun twist on learning about something important in a girl’s life and celebrating becoming a woman. So much of being a woman is not celebrated anymore, especially compared to some countries.

As much as having a period is an inconvenience, there is a greater purpose for it and I want my daughters to recognize that and embrace it rather than grumble and complain about it all the time. This is something I tried to emphasize when having these beginning period discussions.


U by Kotex Tween
is a great resource with a Q & A section to help inspire you on how to have those beginning period discussions. They also offer pads that are designed just for tweens. For more information, please visit U by Kotex Tween on Facebook, Twitter and Hello Period for tweens.

“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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Window Covering Safety Council – FREE Retrofit Kit

At the Window Covering Safety Council website you can order a FREE retrofit kit for your blinds.  If you have some sort of blinds with a cord, please order these.  Those cords are so dangerous for children, I ordered mine this morning.

Order yours today!


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Melissa & Doug Giveaway on Facebook!

I’m a HUGE Melissa & Doug fan and wanted to share about this great giveaway!  Every week they pick a new winner for a great Melissa & Doug Camp Sunny Patch Product – virtual camp for you and your kids! I missed the first 2 weeks, eek! Forgive me! The sprinkler above was for the week ending the 19th. According to their terms page here’s the weekly line up:

6/21 to 6/26 – Spark Shark Floating Target Game

6/17 to 7/3 – Happy Giddy Bug Net

7/5 to 7/10 – Speck Seahorse Sand Ice Cream Set

7/12 to 7/17 – Winner’s Choice Role Play Costume

7/19 to 7/24 – The Box Girls Camp Bunk Box of Questions

7/26 to 7/31 – Backyard Explorer Role Play Costume

8/2 to 8/7 – Spark Shark Fish Hunt Pool Toy

8/9 to 8/14 – Activity Cones – Set of 8

8/16 to 8/21 –  Trunki Prize Pack (includes 1 Trunki Suitcase, 1 Trunki Saddlebag, 1 Trunki Tote Bag, 3 packs of Trunki Stickers)

8/23 to 8/28 – USA Map Floor Puzzle

Let me know which Melissa & Doug Giveaway your kids would love!


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Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff for Moms

The first several years of being a mom I was pretty uptight and stressed – a lot more than I am now. There were (and still are) so many things I didn’t know (still don’t know). However, time, experience and maturity has taught me what is important:

1. Prayer. I pray all the time for my children. After all, God is the one who made them and ultimately knows them.
2. Love. Kids need lots of love and it is a constant work in progress to show them I love them on a daily basis amidst the good, bad and ugly. Each of them enjoy what is often referred as “love languages”. When they know they are loved they thrive.
3. Doing My Best. If I am truly doing my best, then the rest is up to God. As finite humans there is always room for improvement but if my husband and I are jointly seeking what is best for our family and individual children, then things should be ok. Our children will make choices, but any bad or wrong choices won’t be our fault if we have taught them right from wrong – after all our children are human too with minds of their own. Some just have to learn the hard way, unfortunately, and I cannot beat myself up about it.

I still tend to worry about certain things, think that’s part of being a parent, but overall I have loosened up quite a bit. As a mom of eight, I do not have time to let my Type A personality rule me like it use to!

I know all of you moms with 2-3 children all think I am nuts for having as many children as I do, but in many ways having 2-3 is as much work as having my 8 now. I know you don’t believe me but it’s true. When I had three children 3 and under or even five 6 and under, I was doing everything. Everything. My oldest was just starting to be a helper girl. Now I don’t do everything because I have built in helpers, however, I do work for income within our home and without the children’s help we would probably never eat or have clean clothes! Not that they do it perfectly by any means because often I find myself finishing up what they didn’t.

When I was a young mom (making myself sound old now! ;)) I also remember reading a lot of books. Books for encouragement, books about parenting, books about children. I still have many of my favorites and yes, they are still an encouragement to me. I hope one day my daughters will benefit from them.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff for Moms

Kristine Carlson has written a book titled, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff for Moms, that has short chapters for busy moms. In it she shares “simple ways to stress less and enjoy your family more.” I think new and young moms alike would benefit from this book. She includes many reminders like:

– There’s no such thing as a “perfect” mom
– Practice breathing before you speak
– Gratitude is a family practice, and begins with you
– When all else fails, laugh
– Celebrate other mothers
– Guilt-free working mom

Plus many more in her little 100 chapter book.

You, too, can connect with Kristine and other Don’t Sweat Moms via:

Facebook ~ Facebook.com/DontSweatMoms
Twitter ~ Twitter.com/DontSweatMoms
YouTube ~ YouTube.com/user/dontsweatmoms
Pinterest ~ Pinterest.com/dontsweatmoms
Join the Twitter conversation using the hashtag #DontSweatMoms.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff for Moms
may be purchased at any Amazon.com or Barnes and Nobles

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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Annie’s Homegrown – Bernie’s Summer Road Trip!

Annie’s Homegrown wants your pictures with Bernie the Bunny!  They will choose 1 winner each week to win a road trip snack pack.  If you one of the early entries you could get a Bernie decal!  The contest ends July 31st – Don’t Forget to download Bernie!


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U by Kotex Kick Off #KotexMom



As a mom of four daughters there is a lot to talk about concerning the passage of womanhood. It’s funny because my mom never really had “the talk” with me about the “birds and the bees” she gave me a book that our community health nurse provided parents and teens. Yet at the same time she has asked me why I didn’t ask her certain things when she finds out there were things I really didn’t know. I think there was a gap between the book she gave me, health education and the bits I picked up from friends. This has helped me as a mother because I never wanted my girls to learn stuff from other people. I wanted them to hear the truth from me so I answered any questions with as little or as much information they needed for their age at the time they asked the questions and provided them with more as they got older. It has really helped my two older girls. I think my third daughter asks her older sisters questions more than she does me, but they always try to defer her to me as they know and understand the information should come from me. So far we haven’t talked too much to my 6 year old about a girl’s monthly cycle nor has she asked many questions. I am assuming she will pick up some things just by living with me and her three older sisters, but other things I will probably have to talk to her about.

I desire to have open and direct conversations with all of my children about the facts of life. I want them to be able to come to me with anything. For those of you desiring the same thing, U by Kotex is a great resource that I will be talking about in the coming months.

U by Kotex Ambassador Program Kick Off

I was recently chosen to participate in the U by Kotex Ambassador Campaign, which I consider a great privilege. One resource is Aimee Teegarden Gets Real Video by Kotex & Nickelodeon ParentsConnect that launched this month. After watching it I can say that I have really tried to be like Aimee’s mom. My girls feel like they can talk to me about anything (just asked them to confirm! ;))

When the girls were little I found myself nervous about talking about the subject of menstruation, which is a gateway to the sex talk too. But I found it easier to answer questions as they naturally occurred or to simply talk about topics as they found their way into our conversations rather than staging the whole thing.

I have already had numerous talks with my two older girls and we continue to talk as issues come up. One issue that seems to be lacking right now is them keeping track of their cycle, which I think is an important habit to get into. U by Kotex has a period tracker/planner that might help:

With my two younger daughters it hasn’t been as nerve wracking because I have done it before, but they are different and receive information differently so the key is to explain things in a way that they will retain and understand it for when their periods do start. That’s why I am interested in finding new resources.

I like the Kotex brand and have used their pads, but was not even aware of U by Kotex until I received the opportunity to apply for an Ambassadorship. I am hoping to learn some new ways to discuss menstruation with my younger girls as well as find new resources for my older girls. The U by Kotex website has videos, articles, Q&As (including a place to post questions), resources, coupons, period planners and of course, products just for our young girls – they can even design their own pad!

Teaching our daughters about menstruation shouldn’t be stressful but as natural as the sun rising and setting.

To learn more about U by Kotex:

Vist their website: www.ubykotex.com
Connect on Twitter
Fan them on Facebook

“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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Pottery Barn Summer Reading Challenge

*Pictures are from the Pottery Barn Website*

Select a book, track your child’s progress with the book(s), get a reward!  Sounds good to me.

With summer nearing, it’s hard to keep your child still reading.  Here’s an incentive and a reading challenge!  Download the book list, progress chart, a certificate from Pottery Barn’s Website ( http://www.potterybarnkids.com/design-studio/articles/summer-reading-challenge.html ).  Once your reading is done and tracked, you then print a certificate for your child and visit your local Pottery Barn and your child will receive a book!  You can also enter to win a backpack with books!

Happy Reading!


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Barnes & Noble Kids Club

I just signed my daughter up for the Barnes & Noble Kids Club!  It’s FREE! Here’s all the great information she will receive!

“30% off list price on any one kids’ book or toy for your children”

“$5 reward for every $100 you spend on kids’ stuff”

“Free cupcake from our café for all your children’s birthdays”

“Free digital book created by your child on Tikatok.com”

“Monthly email newsletter featuring even more savings”

“25% off every day on books created by your child on Tikatok.com”

Make sure you read the fine print, they say there are exclusions!  

It’s easy to sign up and FREE!  Head over to Barnes & Noble Kids’ Club!


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Kids Bowl Free is Open for Registration!

I got my email a few days back that Kidsbowlfree.com is open for registration!

Kids Bowl Free

I signed up my daughter and I got the family pass! My daughter (3 Years Old) can bowl 2 games a day from May 21st to September 30th for FREE! I purchased the family pass for $24.95, added myself, my husband and grandparents (4 names total). At my bowling alley we will need to pay for shoe rentals, but we can bowl anytime they are opened!

It’s going to be fun! Happy Bowling!


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