One SCARY Guy! {Mouth Man Hoodie #Giveaway (2/9) US}

This is what I get when I ask him to say "Cheese!"

If you aren't familiar with Mouth Man Hoodies, you're missing out! I was sent the Kids' Skeleton Hoodie Shirt for Little Guy and it has quickly become his favorite thing to wear. The graphics are beyond amazing - sharp and detailed - and printed with eco-friendly inks. And the hoodies are made of 100% Polyester Sport Fabric (recycled!) This isn't a heavy-weight material and is made to breathe, so it's perfect for year-round wear. Right now, it's cold out around here, so Little Guy has been wearing a long-sleeved tee under his hoodie. But, as the weather warms up, this will be perfect to wear outside in the spring or fall, and a great cover-up to carry around all summer for cool nights or windy days at the beach.

VERY cool graphics.

Now, I don't know how old each of my readers is but, according to my stats, it looks as if most of you grew up in the 70's and 80's - like me. So you'll be pretty familiar with the band Journey.  Guess who came up with the idea of Mouth Man Hoodies... The bass player, Ross Valory. AND, some of the graphics have been designed for Mouth Man by another (former) band member, drummer Prairie Prince. (((I can't get "Don't Stop Believin'" out of my head!)))You can read more about the creation of these fabulous hoodies and their designs HERE.

And check out those graphics. I think that the hood is my favorite part. The photos on the site don't show the hood, so I was really surprised and impressed when Little Guy pulled it over his head. And these aren't just cool graphics - we were able to even get a little learning about bones in over the past week. Now, whenever he bumps his head, I hear him say, "Mommy! I hurt my cranium!"

Here's the best part of the hoodies, and the reason they're named "Mouth Man" - when you cross your arms in front of you, the graphics on the elbow-area of the shirts create a head with a mouth! Once I put Little Guy in front of a mirror and showed him how he could cross his arms and then make the skeleton's mouth open and close, he was running around "YOMP-ing" Daddy, Brubber, and the poor, confused cat!

Don't you just love it when red-eye actually works in your photos?

Mouth Man has many more designs and is available in sizes from Kids 2T all the way up to Adults XXL. 

Enter To Win!

Mouth Man would like to give one reader their very own hoodie shirt! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

See's Candies Brings Back Wonderful Memories {Review}

When we lived in Los Angeles, there was one store we'd always make a point to go into whenever we had a chance: See's Candies. They had the BEST chocolate I had ever eaten, and whenever you passed through the doors, a friendly See's worker would hold out a piece of candy and ask, "Would you like to try our <insert name of one of their 100+ varieties of chocolates>  today?" FREE CHOCOLATE! I learned that my favorites are Dark Bordeaux, Scotch Kiss, and Walnut Square. My oldest, who was just a little guy at the time, knew that he could always walk out of there with a Vanilla or Butterscotch Lollipop stuck in his mouth.

When we moved back east, I knew that See's Candies would be one of the things I'd miss most about L.A. Real candy stores are few and far between around here and, if you happen to find one, you're not going to get a free sample every time you walk into the store! Imagine how thrilled I was to find that See's Candies can be ordered online and even via catalog.

I received my first catalog in the mail about a year ago. I leafed through it over and over, reliving memories and drooling over some of my favorites. Things got busy, as they always do, and I set the catalog on the counter to take care of Little Guy. When my oldest arrived home from school, he saw that catalog and suddenly remembered all of the great times he'd had at See's Candy with me and his dad. He did the same thing I did with the catalog, often asking me if he ever tried this or that variety and whether he liked it. Seeing how thrilled he was about that catalog, I was able to save up a little extra money and ordered him a big box of chocolates for his birthday. He still has the box, which he keeps all of his important little mementos of L.A. in.

Do you have any candy stores in your area like See's Candies? 

Or, maybe memories of great candy stores from your youth? 

I'd love to hear them!

*** Disclosure: This post was written as part of my participation with Blogvertise.com. I will receive compensation for this post. All opinions are mine.

Storee Wryter Gets A Dog {Children's Book}

I was so happy to have the opportunity to review Storee Wryter Gets a Dog by Barbara Simpson Carducci. When I read the synopsis on the book's Web page, I just knew it would be a great book for my oldest to read to Little Guy. They've made it a habit to read books together when my oldest gets home from school every day. Here's what the page says about the story:

"Do you like to write? Are you always scribbling away in a journal or diary? Are you looking for inspiration for your next big story? If so, Storee Wryter Gets a Dog by Barbara Simpson Carducci is just for you! Storee Wryter is a young girl who loves to read and loves to write. Just like you, she hopes to see her stories get published someday.

Storee’s ideas for her writing often come from her many adventures. And when her friend, Kyria, talks her into getting a new puppy, Storee gets some great ideas for her next book while she and her cat, Critique, have fun watching her puppy learn to become a trained therapy dog.

                Join Storee as she learns to train her puppy to be helpful and soothing. Watch as Storee visits a classroom of special needs children, using her dog to reach out. And have fun with Storee as she gains new experiences certain to help her create her next bestseller! But most important of all, find inspiration for your next masterpiece as you read Storee Wryter Gets a Dog."

This book has so many different components that appeal to a wide range of young readers. Little Guy's favorite character was Critique, Storee's cat. This cat has such a large personality and is always entertaining. My oldest, who has always wanted a dog, said that he learned quite a few good way to train his puppy, "... if I ever get one." <Insert sad face here.>

For children with intense imaginations, I think this book will be a blessing. It will show them how their stories don't have to stay in their heads - they can be written down and possibly even published one day! I know that, as a kid, I had one of those imaginations. I never knew that my stories were worth anything - I thought they were just silly daydreams that only caused me to get in trouble for not paying attention in school. Had anyone shown me how to write my ideas down, I think I may have been a much happier and confident child. Storee Wryter is constantly on the lookout for writing ideas and, when she gets one, readers aren't just told that she writes it down. They learn the actual process of writing, just by reading the book. And, I ask you, what better way to learn than by simply enjoying a good book?

At the end of the book, there are two writing prompts so readers can give their writing abilities a try. These aren't the typical prompts that I see all too often and leave children struggling. I'm sure you've come across these, too: "Imagine you're a tree. What would you do?" GEEZ! How many of you could come up with a paragraph, or even a sentence, on the fly? No, these prompts are wonderful. They ask many questions and spark ideas. They give many paths for the writer to choose from and encourage the children with, "Use your imagination and start writing!"

And, if your child wants more prompts, you can head to Storee Wryter - A Blog For Young Writers every Thursday for a new prompt every week! I've already started using these prompts with both of my kids. Little Guy is too young to write, so my oldest gets paper and a pencil and he and Little Guy come up with a story together, based on the week's prompt. I absolutely LOVE hearing them working together. Often, I'll hear my oldest say something like, "You can't just decide the snake can fly!" And Little Guy will inevitably respond with, "Uh-huh! Mommy say stories are head pictures ["pictures in my head"]. My head sees snake fly!" How can you argue with that??? After dinner, my oldest will often draw a picture for little Guy to color in while I wash the dishes, then they'll read the story to me. And Little Guy almost always adds new parts to the story, driving my oldest nuts.

I am so happy that the kids are working together on such a great venture. And, I think that Barbara Simpson Carducci, the book's author, would be happy to know that her prompts have had such an impact on my family. I'm pretty sure she would because in addition to being an author, she is also the Executive Director for the Young Voices Foundation. This is a 501 (c) 3 Educational nonprofit that holds contests for young writers. From what I understand, the Foundation runs writing contests for children in kindergarten through 12th grade, where the writers can win cash prizes for their stories, poetry, and other pieces. Right now, my oldest (a wonderful verbal storyteller who hates school writing assignments) is working on his own story for their Young Voices of America Write Now! contest. He's got the incentive and motivation to put his story onto paper.

So , if you are looking for a book that is both appealing and will encourage your child to write more, this is it! This book would also make a great addition to an elementary school or classroom library. You can purchase an autographed copy of Storee Wryter Gets a Dog directly from the publisher. You can find unsigned copies from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. AND, you can also purchase this book for both Kindle and Nook!

***Disclosure: I received a paperback copy of Storee Wryter Gets a Dog for the purpose of this review. I will receive no other form of compensation. All opinions are my own.

Two-Ingredient Thin Mint Cookies {Last-Minute Homemade Gifts}

O... M... G...
These cookies are AMAZING!!! And, yes, there are only two ingredients. You can literally make a few dozen of these in less than 15 minutes and people will be raving about them! I wouldn't venture so far as to say that these are just like the ones that you can buy in March from little girls dressed in green and brown, but they are close enough (and WAY more affordable!) The flavor is there, but the texture is more delicate.

Now, I don't have a photo of them because, as it turns out, my husband and oldest found my stash and pigged out. No worries, though, you can see a photo HERE, on Vanessa of The Crafty Nest's Pinterest board, where I found this idea. I cannot find her original post on her blog, so I cannot link you directly.

So, here's what you're going to need:

• A bag of Andes Mints (the original ones)
• A box of Ritz crackers

That's it.

Now, you can find Andes Mint pieces in some stores. They cost a little more, but you don't have to unwrap a zillion of the mints and they melt faster since they're already broken into small bits. I bought one bag of each kind because I couldn't resist having some of the mint foils on hand for projects. (Hey, free green foil paper! I'm thinking St. Patrick's Day and springtime craft projects!) Also, I didn't try using an inexpensive store-brand cracker. I wanted these to taste just right and wasn't willing to risk it. I'm sure a cheaper box of crackers would work out just fine, though.

Here's what you do:

Over a double-boiler, melt the mints. I made sure to get them good and warm so the excess chocolate would run off easily. Just be careful that you don't over-do it and burn the chocolate - ick! You could probably use the microwave, but I don't care to melt large amounts of chocolate that way. It heats from the inside out and can sometimes get overheated and burn without even changing shape!

Make sure you pull out any broken and flaking crackers from the package (I crumble mine up and keep them in a jar for a quick topping for mac and cheese or other casseroles). Simply drop one cracker at a time into the melted mints, flip it over, then fish it out with a fork. With the coated cracker laying bottom side down, very gently tap the fork to let the excess chocolate drip off. Set the coated cracker on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper or parchment (I use parchment this time of year - less chance of sticking and you can reuse it many times for the same thing.)

You can leave the cookies as they are, or make them look pretty. Since I have my assistant chef helping me all of the time, it was decided that our cookies would be pretty. I gave him several small bowls with different cookie toppings in them: nonpareils, sprinkles (some of you call them jimmies?!), colored sugar, candy cane pieces, etc. As soon as I set a freshly-dipped cracker onto the baking sheet, his job was to decorate it with "just one little pinch" of whichever topping he chose, and sometimes a few of them!

When I finished with a tray, I put it into the refrigerator for about 5 minutes to let the chocolate set up. After I let them return to room temperature, I put 3 to 4 of the cookies, depending on how big Little Guy's pinches were, into a cupcake liner. We put three cupcake liners worth of cookies into a sandwich bag and tied it securely for giving to friends and family. You want to make sure that these are sealed pretty well or the minty flavor will sink into your other baked goods - not very yummy!

Now, I have to go melt some more mints. There are two guys in the doghouse right now who are going to be replacing the cookies they ate last night. See? These are so easy to make that I can actually have them do it on their own!

Fizzy Bath Bombs {Last-Minute Homemade Gift}

I originally found the recipe for these on About.com - the place to find articles about anything by anyone! This recipe for the Bath Bombs is based on the one posted by David Fisher, so I'd like to thank him for showing me just how easy these are to make. Really, I've been wanting to try them out for a while now, but they always seemed so complicated and as if they needed a ton of ingredients that were expensive and hard to find. Not true on either! 

Now, I scented my bath bombs with lavender essential oil and dried rosemary from my garden, but you can use any number of scent combinations. Check out this tutorial on mixing essential oils to get the right scent on Easy Aromatherapy Recipes. Just remember: If you use herbs instead of the oils, you'll need to use more. Also, remember that once the herbs rehydrate in the tub, their scent will be stronger! I chose Rosemary and Lavender because I just love how the two blend. Also, I had to buy the essential oil for this and I wanted something that I'd use often. And, once again, don't go all out and buy some expensive and fancy rosemary - get the cheap bulk stuff.

There is one ingredient on the list that I was worried about finding: Citric Acid powder. I took a shot in the dark and visited our local health food store, Health Matters in Monroe, MI, and found that Maurine had it AND it wasn't expensive. I only got a 4 oz. bottle, so I had to halve the recipe on About.com and, of course, I changed it up a little. Here's what I ended up with:

Rosemary-Lavender Bath Bombs

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. Corn starch 
• 1/2 c. Citric Acid (4 oz.)
• 1 c. Baking Soda
• 1/2 c. Epsom Salt
• 1 tsp. Water
• 1/2 tsp. Borax
• 1/2 to 1 tsp Lavender Essential Oil 
• 1 Tb. Dried Rosemary leaves, broken up into 1/4" or less pieces (I just pinched them in my hand to break them)
• 1 Tb. olive oil
• Colorant, if you want to use it (I used gel food coloring. If you have soap colorant you can use that, too)

Now, according to David Fisher, the most important part of the entire recipe is making sure that there is a 2:1 ratio of baking soda to citric acid. This is what makes the fizzies. All of the rest can be played with. The corn starch is there to make the bath water feel silky and it also helps hold the bombs together when they dry, but you can leave it out if you prefer. The Epsom salt can be exchanged in full or in part with sea salt. The oil is also up to you. I used olive oil because it's what I has on hand and I like it. Try grape seed, jojoba, anything you like!


Equipment
*Make sure that you either use all glass or metal equipment, or use plastics that you don't need for cooking. The essential oil will permeate the plastic and no amount of washing will help you!... Trust me - I found out the hard way!

• Large glass or metal mixing bowl
• Metal whisk
• Measuring spoons and cups
• Small squirt bottle (I picked up some ketchup and mustard bottles from the housewares section at the end of summer for $0.25. You could use anything that is small, squeezable, and has a top that allows you to control how much comes out.)
• Spoons
• Baking sheet lined with wax paper, foil, or paper towels
• A mold for your bombs. I used the rounded half of a plastic Easter egg. Look around the house - lids, scoops, measuring cups, even a sturdy cardboard tube from the tin foil will work! You just want to make sure the mold is sturdy enough to withstand the pressure you're going to be putting on it by packing the mixture into it and that it is shaped to release the bombs easily.

How I Did It

I'm so sorry I didn't take pictures. Though, it would have been hard to do with my hands covered in bath bomb stuff! I made these on my own, without Little Guy's help, because I ended up making them at 2am. There are portions of this that he could have helped with, but it was rather powdery and I think I'm glad to have kept him out of this project - I wouldn't have wanted him, at his close level to the counter, to have breathed in all of that dust!

Make sure that you have all of your equipment at hand. This isn't a project where timing is everything, but it keeps things cleaner. I ended up trailing some of the mixture from one end of the kitchen to the other, collecting the things I needed as I went along.

1. Mix the dry ingredients (*except the Borax) together with the whisk, or use a sifter: Cornstarch, Citric acid, Baking soda, Salt, and dried herbs. This is where I made the dusty powder bomb in my kitchen. Make sure you have food and clean dishes put away!
2. In the squirt bottle, mix the wet ingredients and Borax: Water, essential oil, olive oil. Just put them all in and shake it up! This is where I added my food coloring, too. Remember to not over-do the coloring! The bombs will darken as they dry.
3. Put your whisk in one hand and the squirt bottle in the other and get ready - this is where you have to make sure you went potty, the kids are going to be quiet for at least five minutes, and the answering machine is on. Just FIVE MINUTES! Squirt a tiny drop of the oil concoction into the middle of the dry stuff and wait a couple of seconds. See how it fizzes up? You don't want that to happen as you're mixing the wet and dry ingredients together, so make sure you keep stirring with that whisk. I don't know the scientific explanation as to why the stirring prevents the fizzing, it just does. So, as you drizzle the wet ingredients into the bowl, whisk like crazy. You may want to stop drizzling once in a while to make sure that it's all mixed in before adding more. 
4. You want to check every once in a while to see if you have enough wet mixed in - depending on your ingredients, you may need less wet than you mixed up. Grab a small handful of the mixture and squeeze it hard. Open your hand and gently poke the mass. If it flakes up any, crumble it back into the bowl and keep adding the wet ingredients. If it doesn't - stop and go on to step 6. If you run out of wet stuff, go to step 5. (Check the picture that David Fisher was so kind to include in his instructions here.)
5. If you need more wet, just put 1 TB of water into your squirt bottle. I added a little more food coloring here, too, because I wanted a darker color. Shake it up really well to get some of the leftover oils mixed in and keep squirting, mixing, and checking to see if you have enough wet in there. DO NOT USE TOO MUCH WET! I have no idea how to fix this!
6. Now you're ready to mold your bath bombs! Get your mold and fill it up with the mixture. Press it in there as tightly as you possible can. This took everything I had to do - I have arthritis in my wrists and fingers. It's important to get it packed well, or they'll end up falling apart as they dry (if they do, just crumble them up, put it in a jar with a nice bow on top and call it Fizzy Bath Salts!) 
7. If you're using a tube to mold them, set it directly on top of the lined baking sheet. Put some of the mixture into the tube, then use something to batter it down. I used a spice jar lid that fit perfectly inside the tube. kind of like a piston, and then used a long wooden spoon handle to pound it down. It worked great, but I didn't care for the giant pill-shaped bombs, so I scraped them and used the 1/2 egg mold. Once you have it packed well, just slowly lift the tube straight up. If it sticks, you can tap the sides of the tube and use the lid/spoon to press it out as you lift.
8. Unmolding can be tough. You must have patience because you can't just plop them out unless your mold will allow it.I just repeatedly tapped and shook the mold against my hand until the bomb came out. There were times when I'd nearly given up - it was getting really late! - but then the bomb would pop into my hand. 
9. Set the bombs on the baking sheet into your oven or other safe place to dry. Mine were dry in 12 hours, but I let them sit for about a day and a half just to make sure they were dry all the way through. When they were dry, they were rock hard and not at all fragile! 
10.  I packed three bombs into each bag, added a sprig or two of dried lavender for pretties, and was done!

Now, after I made these, I thought of a few possibilities that I could have tried, had I had the time:

• Split the dry mixture into two separate bowls, mix the wet ingredients into two separate bottles, and add different colors. When molding, create stripes or swirls of the two colors.
• Wrap each bomb in plastic wrap and tie with a ribbon.
• Put the bombs into wide-mouthed Mason jars with a pretty ribbon tied around the top.
• Pack the bombs into a "spa gift basket" with herbal tea, raw honey, a pretty mug, handmade soap, a scrubby or pretty washcloth...  

I'm planning on making these more often! I tried one out (had to make sure they worked!) and I loved it. Do you have any scent combos that you think would be good? For me, for my husband and oldest, for little guy, for gifts?

Shhh! LOOK Who was Checking Out Our Tree! {Quick Giveaway - Ends 12/21 Open WW}

Last year, I was lucky enough to have won a custom iCaughtSanta.com photo. What is this? It is a very cool way to surprise your kids with a photo of Santa in their very own home. I simply took a photo of out living room (I choose where Little Guy stashes his toys since that's a very familiar area to him) and then uploaded it to the site. Once it was uploaded, I was able to choose from a ton of different Santa poses to find the right one for my photo. What I really love about this is that you can change the size of Santa, you can change the hue of his clothes and lighting to match your photo. It really looks as if he's there:

In my last post, I told you how Santa replied to Little Guy's letter with a wonderful box of goodies. We hung the "hangable" stuff on our "Tree Wall" and it looks great:

When I learned that I'd have the opportunity to review iCaughtSanta.com this year, I was so excited! I uploaded the above photo and added the PERFECT Santa pose:

Santa in OUR LIVING ROOM, checking out Little Guy's Santa's Nice List Certificate!

Once I finished creating the photo, I was able to print it out, share it on my social networks, and even email it to friends and family. I also downloaded my photo so I always have it (just like I did with last year's.) Wouldn't it be cool to have a photo every year to add to our collection? I'm imagining eventually making a garland with each photo on it to hang along with out other decorations!

So, on Christmas Eve, I'll have Little Guy help me set up our digital camera to see if we can try to get a picture of Santa when he stops by!

Would You Like A Chance To Win One?

iCaughtSanta.com has offered to give away FIVE CODES to my readers! You can make your very own Santa photo. They also have other characters to chose from, such as the Easter bunny and the tooth fairy that you could use it on. AND, if we can get 30 different entrants, they're going to double the giveaway and I'll have TEN WINNERS! So, take a minute and enter in the Rafflecopter form, below! This giveaway is a quickie so the winners will have time to make their photos. And, if you don't win, you can still use the code: SAVE25 to receive 25% off your order! Just think of the wide-eyed look on the kids' faces when they wake up Christmas morning to see a photo of SANTA in their own living room!  

Looking For a Fun & Educational Book for the Kids? {@CowsCantJump}

I've always been interested in how children learn. With my oldest, I was amazed to find he could suddenly do things that he didn't know how to do the day before. He taught himself to read seemingly overnight just after he turned four. Well, really he didn't - I just wasn't paying close enough attention to notice all of the little signs of reading that he had been showing. With Little Guy, I've been much more keen on every little thing he learns. Witnessing his speech go from babbles and coos to actual words was amazing! And I loved finding out that, although he didn't have the physical ability to say certain words, he knew what they meant when I said them to him. One particular thing I noticed in his speech and vocabulary development was that nouns came first. I "tested" my theory that this is the same for most toddlers while watching and listening to them talking to each other at the library. Their speech was mostly made up of nouns, with a few verbs and adverbs thrown in (usually due to a phrase that they often used, such as "Go bye-bye.")

Now that he's speaking very well, using full sentences and a wide array of words to express himself, I wanted to introduce him to new words. Since I believe heavily in unschooling, I didn't want to sit down and "teach" him these words. I wanted him to learn them in a way that was natural and fun. Boy, did I jump for joy when I received an offer to review two children's books that contain a ton of new words. Cows Can't Jump and Cows Can't Quack, written by Dave Reisman and illustrated by Jason A. Maas, are the perfect fit!


Cows Can't Jump starts with, "Cows can't jump... but they can swim." It goes through many different animals, starting with what the animal can't do, then showing what it can. The book moves from familiar verbs, such as swing, to those that children don't often hear very often, such as wallow. Cows Can't Quack is similar, except it uses animal sounds. I loved showing little guy what each of these new words meant. We wallowed in the blankets on the bed. We grunted loudly. We laughed quite a bit!

After asking me to read the two books about a zillion times withing a couple of hours of receiving them, Little Guy decided to read them to me. Then to his stuffed animals. And, when my oldest came home, he just had to read the books to him! Later that evening, as he was playing with his cars, I listened in on Little Guy's narration (he is always talking!) His BMW was "pouncing" on the Cadillac. The tow truck was talking to the bus with a series of clicks, just like dolphins. I was watching my little one practice his new words!

Another thing I observed him doing was building up his cars' self-esteem. (Yeah, I know it sounds weird!) But, at one point, he was using a piece of cardboard with a block under it as a ramp. One car would speed down, but the other one kept crashing half-way down. After a few times, my empathetic kid picked up the crashing car and said, "You can't race fast, but you can so stunts!" I'll be willing to bet that he made that car feel much better! He's also used this way of dealing with shortcomings on the cat and even me. And, just last night, after he tried to keep up with my oldest while playing a football video game that he kept losing, he was feeling pretty low. My oldest, being the big brother, kept saying things like, "Ha, ha! I win!" to him. (Yeah, I thought that sibling rivalries would be non-existent with 10 1/2 years between the two.) Little Guy was getting frustrated and feeling sad and I was just waiting for him to lose his composure. He came close, then he thought of something. "I can't win, but I can make pizza!" My oldest lost his interest in cooking early, an Little Guy knows he doesn't know how to cook much more than Ramen or a bowl of cereal. He made himself feel better AND stood up for himself in one sentence - and my oldest was dumbfounded! LOL

I highly recommend these two books to anyone with infants through preschoolers - even up to kids in elementary school who are learning to read. The illustrations are hilarious. You can check out some preview pages of Cows Can't Jump and Cows Can't Quack by clicking on the links. The books are are easy to read and interesting - something you often don't find in easy-readers. And, as I started off saying, they're educational without being "teachy", if you know what I mean. I am especially impressed with how, just by reading these books, Little Guy has managed to figure out how to deal with blows to his self-esteem (and his cars', too!)

Cows Can't Jump comes in paperback or board book, and Cows Can't Quack is available in paperback.You can order these books at Jumping Cow Press HERE. Shipping is only $1.99 for ANY quantity order in the U.S.! You can also find these books online at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com. You can also find Jumping Cow Press on Twitter and Facebook.

I'd like to thank Dave Reisman for sending me a copy of each book to review. My little guy absolutely loves them both and so do I! I can't help but wonder if there is anything else cows can't do...

Disclaimer: I received paperback copies of Cows Can't Jump and Cows Can't Quack, and a board book copy of Cows Can't Jump (all signed! YAY!) from Jumping Cow Press for the purpose of this review. I did not receive any other form of compensation. All opinions are my own.

Spiced Dough for Ornaments {Craft}

On Sunday, I had planned to make salt dough ornaments with the kids as our Advent calendar activity. Well, on Saturday night, I checked out all of the different recipes, looking to see if there was anyone with an unusual twist or different kind of ingredients. I'm always looking for stuff like that. Anyway, I saw an old recipe that I tried a few times with my oldest and didn't much care for: Cinnamon Applesauce Dough. I mean, it was OK for playing with, but it didn't set up well for ornaments and the scent seemed to go away as it dried. So, I switched my search to a cinnamon dough that had those two qualities I've been missing.

I decorated these two rather quickly so I could take pictures and write this post. The kids and I will decorate the rest on Thursday - it's another one of our activities!

I came upon the best recipe yet! It was posted on a blog called Heartland MOPS. And, if you know me, you know I changed it a little bit. (One thing I want to tell you before I get started on the recipe: Do not buy your spices at the grocery store for this one. Head to the dollar store, Aldi, anywhere else. They don't need to be fresh, you're not eating them - just using their smell!)

Spiced Ornament Dough

• 1 c. ground cinnamon
• 1 Tb. ground cloves
• 1 Tb. ground ginger
• 1 Tb. ground nutmeg
• 1 c. applesauce
• 2 Tb. white glue (I used Elmer's Glue All)
• 2 Tb. flour + more for rolling dough 

1.  Measure out the dry ingredients and stir them together. Make sure you pour the cinnamon and stir slowly! There will be cinnamon dust floating around and you probably don't want to be breathing it in. I had Little Guy get down off the chair he was standing on and wait at the kitchen table until I had the wet ingredients added.
2. So, yeah... the next part is to add  the applesauce and glue. Now, the glue probably isn't a necessity, but it does hold everything together nicely once the ornaments are dry.
3. Once everything is mixed pretty well, have you kid put his or her hands into that bowl and knead the dough for a while. It's not as if it has to be perfectly kneaded, so just let them feel it, squish it, and smell it for 5-10 minutes. What they're doing is helping the gluten in the flour come out, making the dough a little elastic. If the dough seems too wet or sticky, add a little more flour. It really shouldn't be sticky. You should be able to shake your hands and have the majority of it fall off.
4. Now it's time for fun! Roll the dough on a lightly-floured surface to 1/4" thick. I had some that was slightly thinner, but you need to be careful - the thinner the ornaments are, the more likely they will break! Also, watch that you don't use too much flour. You can see faint white areas on my ornaments from using too much.
5. Cut the ornaments and set on parchment- or foil-lined baking sheets. You don't really have to worry about them being far apart because they're not going to rise, but make sure that they aren't touching.
6. Bake at 200 degrees for an hour - your house is going to smell AMAZING. If they're still wet, carefully flip them over and bake for 30 minutes to an hour more - check every 10-15 minutes to make sure they don't burn! (Burnt cinnamon is nasty-smelling and will hang around the house for days. Yuck!) If you don't want to bake them, you can let them dry on their own for 3 to 4 days, turning once a day to dry evenly.
7. Once dry, you can decorate your ornaments in any number of ways. I chose to use obviously inedible decorations so no one would think they were cookies. While the ornaments are made of food and non-toxic glue, they taste nasty - just ask Little Guy who decided that I was wrong when I told him it was yucky. He took a HUGE bite of dough when my back was turned. He really wanted to prove me wrong and tell me it was yummy (yep, he's three!) When I turned back around, I knew, by the look on his face, what he'd done. I waited to see what he'd do. After holding it in his mouth for 30 seconds, it got spit right out.

If you don't celebrate any ornament-related holidays, you can also make beads from this dough. That's what I did with the scraps that were leftover. You could make a nice car freshener by threading a few large beads onto a ribbon and hanging it from the rear view mirror. I tossed a couple of flattened disks of dried dough into the exhaust of our vacuum cleaner, so every time I run it, the room gets deodorized, too!

Don't Have Time to Bake? {Smiley Cookie Review & 20% OFF!}

Now, I want you to know that I don't just grab up any review opportunity that comes along. Before I decided to do this review, I headed over to the Smiley Cookie site to check them out. What I found was surprising to me! The first thing I do when I contemplate buying a food item - online or in store - is check the ingredients. If I can read the listed ingredients without having to remember high school chemistry terms, I already feel good about the product. Smiley Cookies have ingredients that I can say without sounding-out the word. Yay! And, while some of the ingredients may not be the kind that we eat everyday, I see absolutely no reason to keep my family from indulging from time to time. This list of ingredients (wheat flour!) is tame enough that I wouldn't consider these cookies to be "indulgent" for my group of guys.

So, I decided to do the review. I can't tell you how excited I was when the package came in the mail! I secretly opened it up to check out the cookies. I didn't want anyone to know I had them because I had plans for them! I have to tell you that the box they came in is great. It is sturdy and has little Smiley Cookies all over it (see the pic below). I am still trying to decide what to do with it - send my mom's Christmas gifts in it or use it for something around here... Anyway, after I got through admiring the box, I saw the cookies - THEY WERE HUGE! I was expecting some little cookies that would just whet my family's appetite for more. Nope!

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I posted pictures of our outing downtown to watch the parade and meet Santa? I decided that, when we got home, we'd warm up with our Christmas Cookie gift and some warm cider. I hid the box of cookies where I knew no one would find them: behind the flour (I'm the only one who cooks around here!) Before we left for the parade, I poured the cider into the crock pot, added the spices, and set it to "warm". We all got outside and I "forgot" something. I came back in, pulled the cookies from their hiding place, and set them on the kitchen table.

When we got home, we were pretty chilled. The smell of the cider was welcoming! When the kids got into the kitchen, they were so excited to see this mysterious box with lots of Smiley Cookies all over it sitting on the table. They took off their coats as fast as they could and headed into the living room (they did not like that I wanted pictures!)

We received Smiley Cookies' Holiday Cookie Gift ~ a dozen Christmas cookies — Six Smiling Christmas Trees and Six Gingerbread Smiles.





They couldn't open them fast enough! As soon as the box was opened, my husband walked in, asking what was going on - as if he didn't know! LOL They all dun in. Little Guy, who loves "took-tees", couldn't sit still.I had to remind them all to save me one of each so I could taste them for this review. I can say that, without a doubt, we all loved these cookies!

 I was expecting to get crunchy cookies - something I'm not too fond of. Boy, was I surprised to bite into a SOFT cookie, instead! The gingerbread were perfect. The spice was just right and the texture was amazing. There was just enough icing from the smiley face to add the perfect amount of sweetness. The Christmas trees were sugar cookies. Now, I am pretty darn picky about sugar cookies - I've been spoiled by my Granny T's recipe. These were sugar cookies that I would buy! They were really good. Soft, light, and the icing was the perfect compliment.

Apologizing to the smiling tree before he finishes him off.

The happiest guy in the world - fists full of cookies!

I am so happy I did this review. I have found a new "favorite" cookie for the kids (and hubby!) that has ingredients that I know.The next time I want to order a Gourmet Christmas Gift for someone, Smiley Cookies will be the first place I turn to!

Notice how Little Guy is keeping his eye on how many cookies are left? LOL!

If you'd like to receive 20% any of Smiley Cookies' Holiday Gifts or Baskets, head over to their Facebook page and "Like" them. You will automatically receive a coupon code!


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

The We Do Listen Foundation {#Giveaway (12/5) US & Can}

I've wanted to write up this post for over a week, but just couldn't find the time. Yeah, I could have done a quickie post... But I think The We Do Listen Foundation deserves more than that. This non-profit's mission is to help children learn to communicate their emotions effectively and find their own inner peace (how cool is that?!)

So, how do they do this? Check out the We Do Listen Foundation Web site. There, you will find FREE animated books, songs, posters and non-violent games. Additionally, the foundation sells nine Howard B. Wigglebottom books. The books are pretty darn great! Each one is focused on a subject that is important to children's personal growth, self-love, and general emotional well-being. Some of the topics covered in the books include: listening to what others have to say, bullying, anger management, divorce, peer pressure, and the need to belong. I received a book on the last subject for this review, and I love it!

My oldest was always pretty happy with himself. That is, until he decided to go to "real" school. The first month was pretty hard for him. His dad had cancer and was pretty sick at the time, so I attributed his quiet, withdrawn behavior to that. Then, I received a call from his teacher. It seems that he had started to make up unbelievable stories about himself - things he had done, toys he owned, people he knew, etc. - and the other kids knew that he was lying, the stories were just too amazing to be true. He wanted them to like him and thought this was the way to do it. After a long talk about listening to his own heart and being himself, then reassuring him that he would find friends who liked him just for who he really was, he managed to get past this huge speed bump. Within another month, he was one of the most popular kids in the class due to his empathetic nature (oh, and he was "totally cool" because he could draw neat pictures, too! LOL)

I really believe that the Howard B. Wigglebottom books, games, songs, and lesson plans would have prepared my oldest for his first taste of "I'm better than you because I _(fill in the blank)_" that seems to run rampant in classrooms.  In the book Howard B. Wigglebottom Listens to His Heart, written by Howard Binkow and illustrated by Susan F, Cornelison, Howard (a cute bunny who has the same feelings and makes the same mistakes that most children do) wants desperately to fit in. When his classmates laugh at him when they see him doing his very favorite thing, he vows to never do it again. Instead, he tries doing all sorts of other things that he thinks will make the other kids view him as being "cool".He screws them all up... miserably. He has a talk with his grandfather about the troubles he's having and, without telling him what to do, Grandpa steers Howard in the right direction. In the end, Howard is once again caught doing his favorite thing but, this time, he is cheered for it!

I am so glad to have this book for Little Guy. He's pretty self-confident right now, but you just never know when that confidence will crumble. It happened to my oldest! I've also been taking Little Guy to the Foundation's Web site to watch the animated versions of all of the Howard B. Wigglebottom books, play games, and learn new (catchy) songs. I've also taken some time to read over the lesson plans. There are some really great ideas in them! I think that, at three years old, it's the perfect time to introduce him to these concepts. Although I don't intend for Little Guy to go to school (he's 100% the unschooling type!), he'll still be around other children and need to be prepared for the inevitable.

I strongly urge you to go check out The We Do Listen Foundation's Web site and then head over to their online store. Right now, for U.S. buyers, all hardcover books are on sale for only $6 each (regularly $15)! And you can buy all 10 books for just $50. In addition to the Foundation's online store, you can find Howard B. Wigglebottom books nearly anywhere books are sold throughout the U.S. and Canada.

So, would you like to WIN your choice of a Howard B. Wigglebottom hardcover book for a special child in your life? Just enter in the Rafflecopter form below!

Tuesday's Giveaway Linkup {11/29}

<a href="http://www.classifiedmom.com/search/label/Tuesday%27s%20Giveaway%20Link%20Up" target="_blank"><img alt="Classified: Mom" src="http://classifiedmom.webs.com/TGL.png"/></a>

Welcome to Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up with your hosts Aimee @ Classified: Mom & Karen @ Tots and Me & Alicia @ McCrenshaw's Newest Thoughts!

This link up will be posted Monday at 7 PM est. and run all week long! Make sure you stop in as often as you can to list your latest giveaways.

Here is how to use the Giveaway Link Up 1. Post your reviews and/or giveaways, as many as you have, be sure to add the end date (family friendly please) 2. Help spread the word about the giveaway link up by grabbing our button, Tweeting or posting on Facebook. (Not mandatory- but it helps get more exposure to your giveaways as well!) 3. Take a moment to enter any giveaway that strikes an interest to you! If you would  like to follow the three hostesses, we will gladly follow you back! Simply leave us a message to do so. Thank you for linking up with  Aimee @ Classified: Mom & Karen @ Tots and Me & Alicia @  McCrenshaw's Newest Thoughts! 

You Can #WIN Some Great @MelissaAndDoug Toys for #CyberMonday!

Starting at 8am ET, head over to Melissa & Doug's Facebook page to enter to win some great prizes. They will be posting status updates with questions throughout the day. In order to be entered to win whatever the active prize is, just answer the question in the comments section of the question. The very first giveaway winner will with that really cool Train Table pictured above!

They are giving away prizes based on their Terrific Twenty - the Top 20 educational toys for the holiday season. Click below to see what toys are in the giveaway line-up:

Get ready early and "Like" Melissa and Doug on Facebook now. The giveaways will run from 8am ET to Midnight, so make sure you check back often throughout the day!

AND, it looks as if this giveaway is open to US and Canada!

Oh, and there are two great discounts going on for Cyber Monday at Melissa and Doug, you can choose the one that is best for you: You can get 15% off your order with the code NSAVE15 OR you can score free shipping with the code FREESHIPZERO. Codes are good in the contiguous United States only (sorry HI and AK) and will no longer be valid after midnight!

Small Business Saturday is HERE!

Here it is, Small Business Saturday! I'm not really sure it's as big as many make it out to be, but give it time - new ideas always take a while to really take effect. So, for my part in this new movement, I'm doing two things: First, I'm urging you to hit the small, non-corporation businesses this year to shop for gifts and services. Next, I'd like to share with you some of the small online businesses I've had the pleasure of doing business with. I've checked for discounts and deals on each site - some had them, some didn't. Don't assume that there won't be any sales, etc. if I haven't listed them. I'm sure that many are probably waiting for Cyber Monday (and a few I came across had Black Friday-only deals.)

I can update this list, so if you know of a great small business please let me know. I'll need the name of the company, the URL, and a description of what they sell. And if they have any sales going on, let me know - what the sale is, when it ends, and if there's a discount code I'll need that, too! If your shop is listed and I haven't represented your discount properly (or completely missed one!) let me know ASAP. The fastest way to get my attention is via the Contact Me page.


Kids 

ElJay Plushie Hand-cut original appliqué cloth baby books, original soft fleece baby rattles and stuffed animals.

 Laugh Rabbit Jr.  Hand-sewn children’s items. From pillowcases to tooth fairy pillows to baby blankets and toys.

 Olive and Ollie  Modern quilts, chenille bibs, handmade appliqué tees, chenille blankets, lounge sets and pants, dresses, custom birthday shirts, custom birthday lounge sets.

 Beanie Designs  Handmade baby and children’s hats Always free shipping to US. Facebook fans get 10% off (look for code in the “About” section on FB sidebar)

 Freckles Crafts  Freckles Craft Kits offer convenient, safe, educational and fun craft projects for children ages three and older. Each craft kit contains everything you need to create a cute, fun, gift quality craft with your child and includes simple detailed instructions. With a wide range of materials to make paper crafts, wood crafts, and beaded crafts, Freckles Craft Kits can offer something for everyone's interest and ability. Free shipping on orders over $25 with code SANTA

Memorable Children’s Books and Gifts  You can receive a discount of 10-15% on the items listed on the page that I have linked to. Additionally, you will get a free place mat of your choice with every order! Sale ends 11/26. Also, look for Cyber Monday deals!

 Gummy Lump  Melissa & Doug, ALEX, and many other toys at great discounts! 40% ALL Toys sale!!! Everything in store marked down until Tuesday.

Frozen Creek Woodworks Quality handcrafted wood toys, home decor, and bookmarks made with reclaimed, repurposed and other woods that might otherwise be discarded. Prices reflect mark-downs for holidays.

Home 

4th Street Candle Co.  Handmade dye-free soy candles  (The scents are wonderful and last!)

8daysOfTreasures  Moss Terrariums, Nature Photography, Wall Decor, Vintage items, Jewelry Through Dec. 6, the code: BLACKFRIDAY will get 25% off  at checkout.

Amore Vivo  Unique Gifts, Speciality Florals, Peacock Feather Wreaths, Wine Ark, Cork Wall Art, Upcycled Cork Decor, Heart Wreaths, Summer Wreaths, Fall Autumn Wreaths, Handmade Heart Wreaths, Silk Everlasting Rose Arrangements, Home Decor, Italian and Wine Art and Wine Gifts for the Wine Lover,Wine Bottle Toppers and More! Looking to send Flowers? Make them last all year with realistic silk arrangements, I can ship right to your recipients door! *Also - Fresh Michigan Evergreen Centerpieces available for the holidays!*

Camp Honeybelle  Mid-century mod design, campy 1950's housewives, kitschy kitchens, atomic decor, retro school supplies, old books, vintage clothing. If someone on your list likes vintage, you've got to check out this shop!

The Peaceful Housewife  Safe, natural handmade cleaning products, bar soaps, and candles. 35% off all Peaceful Housewife products (all prices reflect discount – no code needed!)


For Her

MelJoy Creations  Hand-woven beaded jewelry at very affordable prices. You can request custom orders, but you may be pushing it if you wait too long! You can get a huge 25% discount with the code: SBS25 Today only!

 Party in My Pants  Mama cloth! If you’ve never tried cloth, you can request a free sample – just pay shipping! I held onto my free sample for months before I finally had the guts to try it out. I'm in love! (If anyone wants to send me a Christmas gift, this is it! LOL)

Cynical Redhead Creations  Handmade jewelry and accessories. For sales, coupon codes, etc. become a FB fan http://www.facebook.com/CynicalRedheadCreations

 Khara Ledonne  Amazingly small paintings inside lockets – unique! She will do custom orders, so make sure to get in touch ASAP if you have something special in mind.


Paper Goods/Cards

 Scrapin’ Sara’s Gifts  Great handmade greeting cards, gift tags, and gifts. Sara ALWAYS includes free surprises with every order, which amazes me since her prices are already so low! Get 20% off through the month of December with the code: THANKYOU

Budugalee Cards  Vintage handmade cards. You won’t find anything like these anywhere else! Cards are made with vintage photographs that have been altered – with colors, sparkles, even random objects. You’ll find cards from hilarious to serious. And, if you can’t find it – just ask! Custom orders are a specialty!

Now that's I've got my list together, I just know that I'm missing some shops. It's now 3:42am and I'm done thinking for the day (night? morning?) PLEASE don't hesitate to let me know about any sales, discounts, or great affordable small businesses that I should be sharing here! I will try my best to update this list (or maybe even write another post or two) throughout the day on...

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY!