Alex Friends 4-ever Bracelet Review

The Friends 4 Ever Bracelet Kit from Alex Toys allows kids to show the world that they are so important to each other that they share and wear their imaginative bracelet masterpieces everywhere they go! A super-stocked craft kit for best friends, the Friends 4 Ever Bracelet Kit includes 4 color-coded foam looms, which allow kids to make 2 distinct bracelet styles in 8 funky patterns; 22 colors of floss; funky beads for adding special accents; and a beading needle, making it easy for kids to create unique friendship bracelets in no time.    Plus, this fabulous Friends 4 Ever Bracelet Kit is the friendship kit that features a convenient, take-me-anywhere storage suitcase with handle for on-the-go fun that friends will love. The newest and trendiest way to make bracelets, the Friends 4 Ever Bracelet Kit from Alex Toys is the ultimate jewelry kit for kids that have already decided that they are "BFF's!" Instructions included.
Features
* Bracelet kit in a great suitcase that includes 4 color-coded looms, 22 colors of floss, beads, and beading needle
* Make 2 bracelet styles in 8 patterns
* Instructions included
My thoughts - I love when my girls have toys that I can play with them too. I had a set like this when I was little but I didn't have the cool looms, beads, or friendship wheels. Okay, I  guess I only had the floss and a clipboard so this set was so much more fun. We made some really neat bracelets and my niece (10) wants one now for Christmas too. As much fun as we had with this set, it was easy to forget that they are educational toys too. They sharpened their fine motor skills, improving their problem solving abilities, concentrating on numbers and patterns, logic and sequencing, encouraging their artistic side, and encouraging communication and teamwork.    This homeschooling mama gives it a definite thumbs up!
Buy this Product HERE   Disclosure - Growingtreetoys.com provided me with the free product for my honest opinion, no other compensation was given.



Mandie Stevens is owner of Taking Time for Mommy & Mommy Reads too Much. She's a homeschooling mom of 2 girls and believes every mom should take a little time for herself.

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Mandie Stevens is owner of Taking Time for Mommy & Mommy Reads too Much. She's a homeschooling mom of 2 girls and believes every mom should take a little time for herself.

Specially formulated Glass Cook Top Cleaner

We were actually looking at new stoves today. I REALLY want a cook top stove. Mine is old and decrepit, everything falls into the burners. With a cook top, I wouldn't have to worry about that. I remembered several years ago when I house sat I tried cleaning one and I made it all streaky. Now there is a product called Weiman Glass Cook Top® Cleaner and it's specially formulated to clean, shine and protect glass/ceramic smooth top ranges.

As a busy mom I'm all about making my life easier and I think you like it too, that's why I want to tell you about Weiman Glass Cook Top® Cleaner. Weiman’s unique, protective formula helps keep food from sticking to the surface. You can even use Weiman Cook Top Scrubbing Pads together with Weiman Glass cook top cleaner
to remove stains without any hard scrubbing/ Sounds good to me!

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Mandie Stevens is owner of Taking Time for Mommy & Mommy Reads too Much. She's a homeschooling mom of 2 girls and believes every mom should take a little time for herself.

Bright Beginnings for your little one

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.
When my oldest daughter had to go on formula she didn't adjust very well, she was very gassy and very irritable. I had to switch it a couple of times but finally found Parent's Choice Organic Milk Based Formula. I liked it because it was organic and had the benefits of the lipids DHA and ARA, nutrients naturally found in breast milk essential for babies' mental and visual development.

When my second daughter had to go on formula, which is the only one I gave her and she never had a problem. I also loved the price compared to other formulas that were of the same quality - but this was even better because it was Organic and the others were not. Because it's Organic it means there are no Potentially Harmful Pesticides, added Growth Hormones, or Antibiotics. They were my precious babies and they needed the best start they could possibly get and since I had breast feeding problems with each of them after awhile, the Bright Beginnings was the best choice.
I'm loving their brand new look. The can is nice and bright!
Bright Beginnings available at diapers.com   Diapers.com also has coupons available for first time customers.

Random acts of Kindness

Yesterday we were at the store and dh needed to get an over the counter medicine and someone was kind enough to leave a coupon for $4 off. May not seem like a lot but it was very helpful and got me thinking about the little things we do to show kindness, no matter how insignificant.

When I'm in a store and have extra coupons I always give them away. I try to help people in wheel chairs you can't reach and I always offer a smile. A lot of times I don't get the smiles back but it doesn't discourage me. I am a true believer in what goes around comes around.

I know a lot of people believe a good deed never goes unpunished but I think that's just an excuse to be selfish. Little things can make a difference in someone's day and when they pay if forward to someone else and they in turn do it for yet another, the world can be a better place.

No, I'm not some crazy hippy. I just see this world going in a bad direction but I know there are still enough good people out there who do care. Sometimes we get wrapped up in the day, in our kids, and in our selves. We need to step out and practice random acts of kindness :)




Mandie Stevens is owner of Taking Time for Mommy & Mommy Reads too Much. She's a homeschooling mom of 2 girls and believes every mom should take a little time for herself.

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Win a H.O.T.T. Hawaiian Vacation Package
Enter for your chance to win a Hot on the Trail Hawaiian adventure. Package includes two roundtrip tickets, three nights accommodation and a fresh, locally foraged H.O.T.T. dinner for two.  All entrants will receive a free Veria vanilla-flavored organic lip balm. Offer expires on July 14, 2010. The entire site looks great, Check it out HERE



Mandie Stevens is owner of Taking Time for Mommy & Mommy Reads too Much. She's a homeschooling mom of 2 girls and believes every mom should take a little time for herself.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

This past weekend, we observed the 234th birthday of our nation. . .the 234th anniversary of the day that our forefathers put their names to the Declaration of Independence, a radical and exciting document that put forth some pretty out-there ideas for the 18th century.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Up until then, the idea that all men were created equal was just crazy-talk. Sure, there were some philosophers who were writing about these principles, but to actually put forth a document that would not only generate talk but birth a nation was a breathtaking proposition. Because by all men, they didn’t just mean the educated, the land owners, the wealthy, the nobility. All men reached out to include the lowly workers, the servants, those who could never have any hope of bettering themselves in society as it stood.

And rights! Who ever said anything about human rights? Up until not too long before that time, the biggest right a man could hope to have was to live his life with as little interference as possible from the king or government. And now these crazy men in Philadelphia talked about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

The men who wrote these words and the men who put their names to this document were essentially signing their own death warrants, for what they said and agreed to amounted to high treason. We think of the portraits that hang in museums of the Continental Congress formally gathered to sign the Declaration. But we don’t know the half of it.

So enough of the history lesson already? Maybe not. What we have forgotten about the early days of our nation are the essentials, the courage, the dangers and privations faced. Men who marched with Washington had no shoes more often than they had shoes. The trail was literally marked by the blood of their feet as they marched. They weren’t paid often by a Congress who was paranoid about the strength of the army, even as they expected those same men to defeat the well-trained, well-appointed and well-armed British and Hessians.

Why did they do it? They were fighting for an ideal, for a principle. They fought for their homeland.

As you celebrated Independence Day with barbecues, parades and fireworks, perhaps you took a little time to read those words again, the ones that made us who we are, not the 13 British colonies in North America, but the United States of America, a free and sovereign nation. I hope you read them to your kids, too, and tell them what it means. Tell them about the courage of men and women, “who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life.”



Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest

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Mommy Meltdowns - Aren't we entitled?

As a mother,are we entitled to have meltdowns? Aren't we the ones who are suppose to keep it together as our 3yr old is screaming No she doesn't want to do this or that, and when our 5yr old is having one of those days where EVERYTHING is making her cry?  When the laundry is a never ending pile and darn it, you just mopped the floor they spilled grape juice on and tracked all over!! Yes, I think we are entitled, at least within reason. My first meltdown happened when my now 5yr old was 6 months old. While she was down for a nap she took her pants off along with her diaper. Did I mention she had pooh poohed?  Her being the true artist she is, used it as her paint and the wall, crib, and herself were the canvas. Now let's not forget her nose, ears, and hair. Yep, I lost it. I cried and cried and cried some more when I finally got every nook and cranny clean. Oh my gosh, it was horrid! My 2nd daughter also did it when she was the same age but hers was worse. We started duck taping the diapers when she napped so she couldn't pull them off.
Now that they are older, when I feel a melt down coming on I make them go outside to play.I also make sure I have plenty of time to myself. I have them 24/7 - ALL OF THE TIME! While I love them it's really good for my sanity to keep them busy. I don't let them get bored and I let myself escape with reading. I also make sure I'm connected to other adults. I'm in a local play group and it's just as much for the moms as it is for the kids.
How do you handle your meltdowns?


Mandie Stevens is owner of Taking Time for Mommy. She's a homeschooling mom of 2 girls and believes every mom should take a little time for herself.

**FREEBIE ALERT** Free Potty Training Charts

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Mandie Stevens is owner of Taking Time for Mommy & Mommy Reads too Much. She's a homeschooling mom of 2 girls and believes every mom should take a little time for herself.

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Enjoy these songs from Baby Genius, you can participate in their study but you don't have to. Check out the rest of the site too for coloring sheets,mazes, and a whole section for parents!HERE



Mandie Stevens is owner of Taking Time for Mommy & Mommy Reads too Much. She's a homeschooling mom of 2 girls and believes every mom should take a little time for herself.

I FINALLY saw Eclipse!

A few years a go my BFF, who is a high school teacher, told me about the Twilight Saga. Why in the world would I want to read a teenage book about vampires? She insisted I had to read it. If you have not read it yet, I am insisting. I have converted many moms into Twilight lovers.

I would have loved to go see Eclipse (the 3rd movie/ book in the series) on opening night but with my mommy responsibilities, it just was not going to happen. Did I mention Eclipse was my favorite book? I love Jacob, he's so funny. I always root for the underdog, I just can't help it. I do believe Edward and Bella are great together but I just felt so bad for Jacob. Anyway, my husband took me to see it Saturday at the IMAX theater. IT WAS SOOOOO good. My husband even like it a lot. He can't wait to see the next one either.

We were laughing so hard and the fight scenes rocked. LOVE Billy, Bella's dad. He's such a scene stealer. Kristen Stewart looked so beautiful as Bella and Edward and Jacob looked pretty good too. The wolves were amazing and I was even okay with the new Victoria. A couple of little things bothered me.... I really wanted to shave Jacob's mustache stubble, maybe it was just the Imax but it really distracted me. Also, whoever did Jane's (Dakota Fanning) makeup should have been fired. I understand she was to look creepy but it just looked horrible. Other than that, I LOVED it!! I wish Twilight would have had this kind of budget, this was by far my favorite Twilight Saga movie! On another note, my husband asked my 5 yr old if she was Team Edward or Team Jacob and she's like 'huh?' She told him she was Team Daddy. Made him so happy.



Mandie Stevens is owner of Taking Time for Mommy & Mommy Reads too Much. She's a homeschooling mom of 2 girls and believes every mom should take a little time for herself.

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Mandie Stevens is owner of Taking Time for Mommy & Mommy Reads too Much. She's a homeschooling mom of 2 girls and believes every mom should take a little time for herself.

Happy Independence Day!

Sorry I've been MIA. I have a lot to post but I've been slacking and enjoying the sunshine. We're going to the beach a lot and getting ready for the Independence Day.
I just wanted to take the time to wish everyone a Happy 4th!



Mandie Stevens is owner of Taking Time for Mommy & Mommy Reads too Much. She's a homeschooling mom of 2 girls and believes every mom should take a little time for herself.

"High Drama 2" is an original web series, view it now on TheWB.com.

Remember when I told you about the new web show High Drama Season 2? Well episodes 6-10 are up including opening night!
I still can't believe this show isn't on t.v.. Watching these highschool kids takes me back. My mom was very practical and wanted me to take practical classes and be involved in practical activities. I was in ROTC and Debate club - oh joy. It wasn't until I was a senior that I took drama and it was so much fun. Thinking back, I should have had more fun in highschool. I never went into the military and while I'm sure my debate skills work great on my 3 yr old, I never became a lawyer. Watching these kids have so much fun makes me smile.

I'm hooked on this show. Ali had to deal with laryngitis, Jackie,and Leanna lost their car in the mall parking lot while Jackie was trying to learn how to pick up boys, they got their college admission letters - well some of them, and of course opening night. My heart was really touched when the director had a talk with Tony.

I wonder what they are all going to do now. Being so young they have the whole world in front of them and even though Cameron is lost, I have a lot of hope for him.

If you haven't watched this show, I highly suggest it. My 5 yr old watched it and told me, 'wow, not all teenagers are brats' lol.


Watch all of the episodes HERE

This is a sponsored post by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for 'High Drama 2. All opinions are my own.

Taking Our Bodies Back: How to Break Free from the Comparison Trap

Author of Waiting for Jack: Confessions of a Self-Help Junkie: How to Stop Waiting and Start Living Your Life

Summer is officially here. For many women, that means bathing suit anxiety. That means more focus on those "troubling" body parts. That means a last minute purchase of a gym membership that you won't use.

This summer, disrupt the ordinary, draw a line in the sand and set your own standards for body image and perfection. What if you looked back on this summer as the year you accepted yourself and your body the way it is right now?

Practice these 6 Principles this summer and take the pledge to free yourself once and for all from the Comparison Trap.

1. Be nice to you. You have heard it before and I am going to say it again now -- be nice to you! If you talked to your friends in the negative way you talk to yourself, you wouldn't have any friends! Many of us begin the day by looking in the mirror and noting what is "wrong" with us -- we think, "I look tired", "my hair needs to be cut", "I look bloated, I shouldn't have eaten that last night…" Most of the time, we are not celebrating our beauty and wonder. We could all learn something from the video of a little girl named Jessica who stands on her bathroom counter and loudly and proudly proclaims what she likes into the mirror. For almost a minute, she enthusiastically lists the things she likes: "I like my hair! I like my pajamas! I like my house!" And she ends with "I can do anything good, yeah, yeah!" If you haven't seen it, it is well worth the watch:www.youtube.com
 2.Comparison is more dangerous than a dead end street in a bad neighborhood. Anything you don't like about yourself is, by definition, in comparison to something else. We only "know" what the perfect lips, breasts, nose or thighs are because we have a false standard to compare to. According to the National Eating Disorder Association, 80% of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance yet most fashion models are thinner than those women (meaning us). We may never stop comparing, but we can practice awareness of it. Keep track of all the ways, times and places you compare yourself and come up short. The more you bring it to the surface, the less power it has over you.
 3.Don't wait: Now is the time to make peace with that troubling body part (or parts). As we age, gravity will affect us -- all of us that is. Skin will sag and wrinkle and if we are blessed to live a long life, it will continue to do so. Five or ten years from now, you will look back on pictures of yourself and wonder what you complained about. Why not accept yourself right now? And yes, this takes practice. Be willing to do whatever it takes -- whether it is simply observing your thoughts; actively changing the negative thought to a positive one; or practicing affirmations. Take it up a notch and pick a body part that you can accept and sing your praises to it. Like the arch of your foot? Write an ode to it. How about appreciating the strength of your legs? Compose a poem. Be silly, have fun, play. Just do what it takes to shift your focus to appreciation. Even the most hyper-critical of us can find something to be proud of.
 4.Remember -- diet is still "die" with a "t". Instead of going on yet another diet, take the time to educate yourself about healthy eating. Invest in a good nutritionist -- do a thorough inventory of your eating and exercise habits. If you find you need professional intervention, take action now! Don't wait! Help is out there. Visit the National Eating Disorder Association's website: www.nationaleatingdisorders.org for more information.
 5.Practice conscious consumption. Want to know why these unrealistic standards of perfection continue? The answer lies with us. Societal pressures do exist, but who makes up the society? We do. Who keeps buying the fashion magazines, watching the TV shows? We do. Who keeps falling for the myth that there is something wrong with us? We do. Peer pressure and negative influences exist, but who needs to be responsible for this? We do. If we still choose to view, buy or read the media yet continually feel less than, we need to be responsible for that. We are the ones who keep comparing ourselves. The media can only impact us if we let it. We need to develop a critical eye and practice conscious consumption. Then one day, if we all truly love and accept ourselves the way we are, the media will change too.
 6.Take a stand! Get involved, start a movement, make a difference! Don't tolerate criticism in yourself or others. Say something about it when your friends complain about their bodies. Definitely say something when you hear others make derogatory comments about others' bodies! We dislike the standards that exist, yet we fall into another trap of keeping those standards in place when we negatively remark on a Hollywood star having (gasp!) cellulite. The next time you see cellulite on a star, celebrate! Write a powerful letter to the media outlet that criticized them. Be an advocate for change.

Let's draw the line in the sand this summer and make the pledge to break free from the Comparison Trap. We can set our own standards for body image and perfection. We can embrace all of us -- our scars, wrinkles, droops, muscle, beauty and wonder.

Now, I ask you, what are you waiting for?
© 2010 Kristen Moeller, author of Waiting for Jack: Confessions of a Self-Help Junkie: How to Stop Waiting and Start Living Your Life

Author Bio
Kristen Moeller, MS, is the bestselling author of Waiting for Jack: Confessions of a Self-Help Junkie: How to Stop Waiting and Start Living Your Life. As a coach, speaker, and radio show host, Kristen delights in "disrupting the ordinary" and inspiring others to do the same. She first discovered her passion for personal development in 1989 after recovering from an eating disorder and addiction

Kristen is also the founder of the Chick-a-go Foundation -- a not-for-profit that provides "pay it forward" scholarships for life altering training programs reaching people who otherwise cannot afford such opportunities.

When she is not actively making a difference in the world, she thrives in the beauty of Colorado and enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, riding her horse or just spending time reading or relaxing in her magical, solar-powered house on the side of a mountain with two large dogs, an ornery cat and her best friend and husband of 15 years.

For more information please visit www.waitingforjack.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Overages & Money Makers

Part of the WUC Virtual Class System
Have you ever been paid to shop? I know you’re probably rolling your eyes right now, thinking another one of those ‘too good to be true’ kind of deals. Well, I was honestly right there with you years ago. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that some deals can be so good that literally you will come out ahead!! The very idea of walking into a store, paying nothing AND then earning a little bit for next time is so foreign most people don’t even believe it’s possible. I’m here to tell you it happens, although not all that often!

An overage is the difference between an item's actual value and the coupon's face value. For example, let’s say you have a packet of tuna that’s on sale for $.50, and you have a coupon for $1. That’s a strange thing, right? What do you do? Well many stores will honor the $1 coupon even though the item only costs $.50!!! That means by simply using that coupon, you will earn $.50. Now when I say ‘earn’ the stores generally never give you money back, but what they do allow, is for you to get something additional that is $.50 and pay nothing!!

So, imagine a scenario where you have twenty $.50 coupons for tuna. You are earning a $.50 credit for each one off your bill simply by redeeming the coupon. After using twenty coupons, you have a $10 credit towards anything in the store! I go buy meat, chicken and other essentials that never have coupons and pay nothing! This is an important concept with overages. You must find things to ‘eat up’ the credit you have built up. The last thing you want is to get to the register and have a negative total. They zero it out and you lose the overage! Overages are rare, but they do happen. Another important thing to remember is that an overage is a privilege not a right. Stores can adjust down the coupon which results in a free item READ MORE HERE

Free Biggest Loser Workout Mix Download Volume 2 From Subway

Subway is offering a free Biggest Loser Workout Mix Volume 2 music download. Included are Need You Now by Lady Antebellum, What Do You Want From Me by Adam Lambert, Telephone by Lady Gaga, and more. This offer is available for a limited time while supplies last
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Mandie Stevens is owner of Taking Time for Mommy & Mommy Reads too Much. She's a homeschooling mom of 2 girls and believes every mom should take a little time for herself.