Fashion Playtes

Do you have a little girl on your holiday shopping list this year? If so, get ready to cross her name off thanks to Mamapedia and Fashion Playtes.

Expiring soon (November 11) is a great deal on an even better product. For $15 you receive a $30 credit to use at FasionPlaytes.com, a site where the little girl in your life becomes her own clothing designer.

Starting with a shirt, dress or choice of bottom, she will begin to channel her inner fashionista by selecting a style, followed by color and many, many embellishments. Matching doll-size clothes can also be purchased for her American Girl doll!

A site plus: All clothing options are age appropriate; there are no cropped tops or mini skirts!

To purchase this deal visit mamapedia.com through this link. Your confirmation will be emailed to you along with the detailed voucher ID. To give this as a gift, I'd include a copy of the voucher with photos from the site (and perhaps a sketch pad and pencils to further her design interests)!

Common Sense Media

My oldest is seven ("and a half," if you ask him) and we're entering a fantastic stage in which my husband and I get to share some of our favorite movies as children with him. We've watched the Princess Bride and are going to be watching E.T. in the next few weeks. I love that time together on the couch making a favorite movie of mine even more special!

Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization that provides trustworthy information, tools, and forums for families so that they can make educated decisions about the media their children consume. Media reviewed and rated on the site include movies, video games, apps, websites, television shows, music, and even books.

Right now I really only use the site to check the age-appropriateness of a movie or old television show I'm thinking of introducing my children to, but the Advice section is sure to be handy for parents with older children as such topics as cyber bullying and cell phone use are covered extensively. There is also an impressive education section for teachers and parents to get ideas of things to discuss as they introduce new media.

Check out your new parenting ally at commonsensemedia.org.

Dice Bites

Mealtime can be stressful for both children and their parents. There's a fine line between pressuring your children to eat (resulting in stubborn, unadventurous eaters) and encouraging them to try something or eat a few more bites.

To ease the pressure for my family, I've made a game out of what was once a battle. The children roll a die. It's as simple as that. If they roll a 1, they are required to take a single bite. If they roll a 6, they groan and take six bites.

The complaining and fighting as stopped and the amount of food being thrown away has decreased. I'm chalking it up as a victory! Give it a try and let me know the results!

Boden's Diminishing Discount is Back!

Now is the time to stock up for fall and winter...Boden is offering 20% off! This deal is rarely available, so take advantage while you can. The discount will be diminishing this week (details in the photo above)...shop early to save!

Visit bodenusa.com to start saving! No coupon code necessary, just click on the link found here!

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

What kid doesn't like chocolate milk? I know mine do. But I'm very particular about what kind they drink. They drink white milk when we go out to eat since most chocolate milk in restaurants is made with Hershey's Syrup...high fructose corn syrup is the #1 ingredient (something our family stays clear of).

But they do drink chocolate milk it at home a few times a week since I've started making my own syrup. My kids will be the first ones to tell you they think it's better. Probably because it actually tastes like chocolate (there's very little cocoa in the previously-mention brand). If you're interested in giving it a try, you'll find the recipe below. It makes a large batch...halving it will give you the amount you'd expect from your supermarket-purchased bottle.

To make my chocolate syrup I use raw sugar (it lends a deeper flavor). If you have really picky eaters, you may want to start with white sugar and then slowly switch to the natural raw sugar. One other thing to mention is the reason I use Dutch-processed cocoa powder: it dissolves completely; you don't want gritty syrup.

This recipe is really simple and quick...I hope you'll give it a try!

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups raw sugar
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 ½ cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons mild honey
• 1 ½ tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Instructions

1. Add water and sugar to a large saucepan (it will expand greatly as it boils in the next stage). Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
   
2. Lower the heat and whisk in the remaining ingredients until the cocoa powder is dissolved. Return to a boil for 2 minutes and then lower the heat and simmer until slightly thickened (but not too thick...it'll thicken greatly when it cools), about 5-8 minutes.
   
3. Pour the hot syrup through a fine mesh strainer and let it cool to room temperature before transferring into bottles.

I Am Here Playmat

I was just spending some time on Etsy looking for materials to make some hair clips and stumbled upon these great customized playmats! Yes, you read that right. I was looking for hair supplies and I found a playmat. That's how my mind works...it's like dominoes. At times it makes me nuts, but today, because I found this mat, I'm thankful for it.

BoredStiff is the shop's name and they'll create a custom playmat for your child mapping out your town...or a favorite vacation spot!

How cool is it for your son or daughter to drive some Matchbox cars around town, learning street names and directions on this I am Here playmat? I say pretty cool!

Visit etsy.com/shop/boardstiff to see all of their products, including miniature structures for your town! Mat prices start at $28.50.

The Beauty Department

You know how certain things come into your life and you instantly wonder how you ever lived without them? The Beauty Department is one of those things for me.

Lauren Conrad (an It Girl for sure, always spotted with gorgeous hair, perfect makeup and an obvious eye for all things fashion) partnered with her hair stylist and makeup artist, Kristin Ess and Amy Nadine, two experts who not only know what they're doing but are willing to share their knowledge with the rest of us...and The Beauty Department was born!

The site is full of hair and makeup how-tos (like the one shown here for Twisted Sister), countless quick tips, and discussions on trends, skin issues, and tools of the trade, as well as inspirations and beauty obsessions.

One change I've made thanks to the site is to spray dry shampoo on my bangs right after drying them instead of waiting for the inevitable hair separation that comes later in the day. I don't think I'm being dramatic when I say it's changed my life...at least the life of my hair!

Visiting The Beauty Department in the middle of my day has become a quiet and peaceful time for me, and not only due to the overflow of stylish goodies. The layout is simple, the format is clean, and the photos and graphics are breathtaking. I'm talking stunning. It's a welcome oasis in the middle of my jam-packed day of homeschooling and writing!

So take a look! Visit thebeautydepartment.com to start your journey into the site that will consume you...and have you wondering how you ever lived without it!

giggleDEALS

I've purchased some amazing products at steep discounts in the past couple of years thanks to various daily deal sites. And now there's another online store offering great children's items for less: giggleDEALS.

giggleDEALS offers it's members a chance to save big (up to 70% off) on baby clothes and accessories...even nursery furniture! Today, for example, you could score Apple & Bee diaper bags, Little Bamboo blankets, Bobux baby shoes, and i play Swim Sensations bathing suits all for a song!

To take advantage of the discounts, sign up at giggle.com.

50% off Zoobooks Subscription

This week's Living Social deal is a year's subscription to Zoobooks (or Zootles or Zoobies, depending on your child's age and development level).

For $15 (normally $30) you'll receive an animal-themed book sent to your home each month along with a poster and set of stickers. My children have been receiving Zoobooks the past year and LOVE it! Not only do they enjoy the animals they read about, but they feel so grown up receiving their own mail each month.

Your child will learn about animals from apes to zebras and every one in between while looking at beautiful photography and age-specific content. They will also build reading skills while you snuggle together on the couch reading these educational books. They offer "all the right building blocks to set young readers up for learning success," says Learning Magazine.

To purchase your subscription, visit livingsocial.com. But hurry, this offer is only good for six more days!

Poppy King for J.Crew

For the past two days I've been working outside of the house for a client's special event (two more days to go). This includes getting dressed up in business attire and putting makeup on. The kids hardly recognize me. Hazel keeps touching her lips and saying, "Mama's red."

Wait a minute, let's back up...

Last week I was in J.Crew and noticed these little black boxes at the register. I opened one up and was delighted to find a tube of lovely reddish coral lipstick inside.

I had started my search for such a shade last fall and never succeeded in finding the perfect one...they were either too orange or not orange enough. I'm thrilled to say my search is over.

Lipstick Queen, the maker of this covetable color, got it's start when Poppy King, 18 years old at the time, started her own lipstick company because all of the others on the market "were all thin, slimy, and too greasy feeling. Plus there were no deep colors...most reds went pink. She wanted lipsticks that gave her the look of the 1940's. Rich, opaque and filled with pigment." And that's exactly what this lipstick is...which explains the cult following it has all over the world.

And so I've been wearing it the past two days and will continue to wear it when I leave the house...for work or otherwise. I'm a bit in love and can't wait to delve into the other parts of Lipstick Queen's world.

This particular shade was created exclusively for J.Crew and is available only in their brick and mortar stores and at jcrew.com ($18.00). To check out all of Lipstick Queen's other products visit lipstickqueen.com.

PS - I give major props to you parents who work out of the house. I stay home with three children, homeschool them, and work 15-20 hours a week from home and often hear, "I don't know how you do it." But you, those who fit laundry, cooking meals, running errands, and everything else that comes along with children into your day, while also dressing up and preparing yourself to leave the house each morning, you I have much respect for! Bravo!

Wilderness Canyon Zip Line Tours

I'm a mother of three. I'm an adventurer. I'm here to tell you the two can successfully coexist. (Although I do wish I had parachuted prior to having children because that's the one thing I don't feel responsible doing now...although I do plan to sky dive with them when they're older. I'll just have to wait 10+ years to have that amazing experience with my children. I'm confident it'll be worth the wait!)

I keep a mental bucket list I'm checking off one adventure at a time. I'm thrilled to say I crossed off another item this past weekend: zip lining! That's me in the first photo and my brother, Christopher, in the second!

The Wilderness Canyon Zip Line Tours at the Wilderness Hotel in Wisconsin Dells just started offering dusk and moonlight tours this month. We were on the dusk tour which took place at sunset. It was gorgeous to see the forest, canyon and river as daytime made way to evening. We even saw deer on our last zip of the night!

The moonlight zip takes the adventure to a whole new level! Participants literally step off into the dark wearing glow necklaces around their necks and sticks strapped to their sides for safety. Guides carry lanterns from station to station to ensure zippers are properly hooked up to each line. Safety is of top concern at the Wilderness Canyon tour!

Our guides on Sunday night, Bravo and Night Hawk (the radio names they used via walkie talkies from line to line), were very impressive! I felt more than comfortable as they transferred my lines...you are attached to a tower cable or line at all times. They were amazingly friendly and asked our thoughts at the end of each line. You could tell they sincerely enjoyed experiencing each zip with new participants. They also taught us how to steer and what positions to use to ensure maximum speed (it's possible to travel up to 25 mph...although there are ways to sit in your harness if you don't want to go that fast as well).

The five zip lines measure 356, 314, 488, 426, and 907 feet totally more than 8 football fields when combined! The Wilderness Canyon Zip Line Tour offers a great opportunity to maximize four or the five senses as you experience the sensation of speed, the amazing views, the scent of the wild flower fields below, and hearing the birds as they travel at your current level of 115 feet above the ground.

Dusk tours start at 7:30 and cost $45 for resort guests and $65 for the public. The moonlight tours start at 9:30 and the cost is $55 for resort guests and $65 for the public. Each tour has a limited number of participants and reservations are required. To make an advanced reservation, call 608.253.9729.

For more information on the Wilderness Canyon Zip Line Tours or the resort itself, visit www.wildernessresort.com.

FREE Blockbuster Express Codes

Are your summer days too hot to go outside? Do your kids have those dreaded summer colds? Or are you just looking to reconnect with your honey and snuggle up on the couch once the kids are tucked in bed? Well, I've got just the thing!

FREE Blockbuster Express codes! Use one of these to get your first night of a movie rental for free!

Good Through 7/8:
74JBHS8
75RRAP9
44CMEA9
98MLBJ7
54ZGDB3
93EHJR8
92KBDJ5
24NCRP9
54VHAP6

Good Through 7/15:
63CMEA3
39MLBJ8
83MDEB2
73ZGDB7
43EHJR5
86KBDJ7
63NCRP2
92VHAP2

Happy movie watching! And let me know if you watch anything good!

Who Lives Where?

The kids and I just got done playing our first game of Who Lives Where? I purchased it last night in the clearance section of Toys 'R Us and couldn't wait for them to wake up to play...the game didn't disappoint!

I love the wooden pieces and animal theme along with the bright colors. The four of us were pretty competitive and had a lively game.

So here's how you play: You divide all of the animals among the 2-4 players and place the roofs on the houses. Then, players take turns trying to find homes for their animals. It's a memory/matching game and a fun way to strengthen those skills along with shape sorting, colors, animal sounds, etc.

This game appears to be in the process of being phased out of stores. If you can find it, it'll probably be on sale. Otherwise, it's $19.99 and ships free with a $25 order from amazon.com...and I'd say it's worth it!

clio beautytrim

Let's face it, unwanted hair is not fun...to have or to talk about. But that's just what we're about to do. I recently purchased a clio beautytrim and have been so pleased with the results I thought I'd share.

Clio's tiniest electric dry razor is great to use on your face, tops of toes, or bikini line. The extra-fine blade offers precise trimming and is 100% painless while cleaning up unwanted hair quickly and smoothly.

It's about the size of a pen and when the cap is in place looks just like one too! Easy to store in your purse or take on beach vacations.

Included with the beautytrim is a dual length eyebrow trimming attachment...but I haven't tried that yet and don' t know that I will, to be honest. I figure what I've been doing with my little pair of scissors has worked just fine...why risk cutting off half a brow off? If you're braver than me and have tried it, let me know how it works!

This handy little gadget is only $6.99 at amazon.com and ships FREE! Why not give it a try?

Etsy Kids

If you're a parent who loves Etsy you'll be pleased as punch by this announcement: Etsy now has an exclusive children's site! Etsy Kids has launched!

Now you can search for handmade goodies for your children without having to weed through the adult items. Although of course you'll still want to check those out as well!

Visit etsykids.com to take a look!