Where has September gone???

Hello Everyone!
I want to first off apologize for my lack of posting as of late... September has flown by without me even realizing it!!!! Wow, this past few weeks have been emotional and overwhelming. Our family is getting into the school mode with Princess B and Monkey is having a hard time understanding that she goes away and always comes back. Princess B has been a really hard to figure out for Mr. Man and I as of late, if she hears him leaving for work in the morning she has a massive attachment attack with crying screaming and stalling. one morning it took Mr. Man almost 30 minutes to get out the door with her clinging to his leg like static. With me it has been even more extreme. It seems she is having some type of separation anxiety. I cannot leave the house to get some "me" time without her running screaming and crying into the garage. One night I was in my truck getting ready to put it in reverse when I heard her screaming over the radio and vehicle running and the door to garage closed.... Can you say STRESSFUL. it has recently started to change the clinging and outbursts are starting to simmer down. The other night she and I were heading to "meet the teacher" night at her school and Mr. Man began mocking her, clinging and crying and begging and stalling her. And then I discussed it with her and she seems to have come to an understanding that it is not the way to behave. Monkey is the calm cool kinda boy...you give him Thomas, Lightning McQueen or even a Max and Ruby episode and he says not one word except to tell you it is over. It helps when I need to get food prepared or run on the treadmill.
Other than the family's adjustment to school, Princess is also taking dance and talk about the speed night for cooking....we only have 2 hours to get fed and dressed and out the door. I don't know about any one else but Princess takes almost 1 hour just to eat half of her meal...she has an excuse for every reason to get down from the table...

I introduced a Responsibilty Chart to her on Monday, I went to Michaels and purchased the Melissa and Doug Responsibility Chart to get her into the mode of be a "big girl" as she so clearly calls herself. We hung it in the kitchen near the dining area, she is able to see the spots that are empty and ask what she has left to fill in.
Her responsibilities are both activities around the home and character building. I gave her make her bed, get dressed, brush teeth, clean room, put away toys, do homework (yes, they received homework this week in JK!), put clothes in the laundry basket, take a bath/shower, get ready for bed; then sharing, keeping hands to self, saying please and thank you, showing respect and no whining (my favourite). She must fill her day with the happy faces. She chose a goal for the end of the week to be awarded if all  days are filled (80%). The rewards are endless from playing a game on my iPhone (this weeks reward goal), day out with mom or dad, special treat, trip to the mall for a mango slush,  and many more. These will be written on paper for her to chose in the next week along with a few wild cards and stockpile rewards- monetary possibly. It is day 2 of the program and she has been doing great, I know it will only get better.

What else have I been up to???
I have been getting my crochet on...I started my own shop on Facebook, Little PINK thread.
I have been helping out Heidi at Snappy Tots in her call for beanies to fulfill her Beanies for Bravery. I just finished 5 beanies and sent them off to her. Her goal is 200 beanies to be sent to the soldiers in Afghanistan. If you can help please head over get the free pattern she has posted and crochet or knit away...her deadline right now is post marked packages by October 1st, but if yours doesn't get there in time she will be doing another event again very soon.
Stop by the shop on Facebook and check it out..."LIKE" Little PINk thread if you want to, one can never have to many friends.
Here are a few projects I have been working on for the shop:

Berry Boarder Hat
(Snappy Tots pattern)

Monkey hat
(RAKJ Patterns pattern)

Koala Hat
(Crochet My Love Designs pattern)

2 of the Angry Fowl hat
(Snappy Tots pattern)

Piggy Hat and Rump Cover
(Crochet My Love Designs pattern)

Munching Caterpillar Hand Puppet
(Snappy Tots pattern)

Sock Monkey hat
(Crazy Socks Crochet pattern)

Canadian Sock Monkey Hat
and Cocoon set (Snappy Tot pattern)

Adult Cable Twist Newsboy hat
(Rebecca Ann Designs Pattern)

Most of theses and many more are available on my page, should you be interested contact me there. I am really enjoying working up the patterns more for fun and relaxation...a little "me" time. Mr. Man however doesn't like the yarn bills that are coming in though ;)

Hope you all have a great day!

P.S. if you have kept reading, stay tuned I will be posting giveaway Friday!!! I also have a few reviews to write up for you too!

It's Flip Flop Exchange time!!!

Last summer, I, along with Princess, participated in Becca at The Texas Darlings Flip Flop Exchange and had a blast doing so. So I received an email about the Take 3 version of the Flip Flop Exchange and if I would like to participate again....Absolutely!!! If you love flip flops and would like to give a pair and get a pair then head over to Becca's blog and sign up for the Flip Flop Exchange. I can't wait to receive my partner, already thinking of something fun to do this year.

Ciao for now,

Just Touching Base

Just touching base with all my readers, I am so sorry for not having posted anything for over a week and a half. It is a busy time here. My baby sister's wedding prep is in full swing. The wedding happens in four days so we have been busy.
The family made the 16+ hour drive Form Ontario to New Brunswick in one piece. I can't say enough about how much the portable DVD player has saved our sanity on this trip. Gotta love the fact that the kiddies were able to enjoy their movies and see the sights. We I did get my fair share of Thomas the Tank Engine though...Monkey's fave. We have enjoyed our trip so far but it has gotta stop raining...I mean really stop! The kids have been stuck inside for a little over 4 days and enough is enough. Grampie did manage to take them out for a rain boot puddle jumping activity...enjoyed by all while going on but as soon as it was over Princess said it wasn't any fun because she was wet. They splashed and enjoyed the rain water drips on their coats from the edge of the house.  Then they enjoyed a nice warm bath and some toast before bed.
I have to thank my mom she has been my saving grace with kids. The first night we struggled with Monkey's bedtime. Since the second night, Nana (as we know her) has been bathing the kids then giving them a snack, and Princess is in bed by 8pm and Monkey goes in their room and one of us sits on the floor by the door and waits for him to fall asleep....which has gone from taking 20 minutes to 5-7 minutes. This gives me much needed relaxation time and wedding prep time.
Gotta love the experience of grandparents!!!!

I have a tutorial coming up soon for my baby sis' wedding invite!!
Ciao for now,

New Features Coming Soon!!!

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to let you all know that in the coming weeks I will bring you a new feature here at AM2CW. We will be reviewing books that could possibly make it to your Summer Reading list for your kids.  The "Mama-Read-To-Me-Monday" feature posts will give you the run down of the book we reviewed, as well as what we (Mama and the Munchkins) thought of the book. We will be using our rating scale of 1-6 thumbs, based on 3 of us and 2 thumbs each. Also we will be including an activity that will be associated with that book or series of books in the weeks in between the next book review. The activities may involve printables, crafts or physical activities that will be inspired by the book or series we read.
On that note: the "Mama-Read-To-Me-Mondays" and AM2CW has a new sponsor, Kids Can Press Canada, has become our sponsor, providing us with books to review. So look for their button or banner arriving soon to the left sidebar. 
So please check them out...they are located in both Canada and the U.S. And be kind and check them out on Facebook. You are also able to sign up for their newsletter on their website. You will know Kids Can Press from the Franklin the Turtle series by Paulette Bourgeois, illustrated by Brenda Clark as well as Scaredy Squirrel series by Melanie Watt.
***Here's a little highlight on the Franklin books, it is celebrating 25 years in 2011 as well as the writer, Paulette Bourgeois and illustrator, Brenda Clark, are up for nomination on the Canada Walk of Fame. Did you know there are now over 30 book in the Franklin series?

So stay tuned to AM2CW over the next couple weeks, as we get our biggest jump into blogging, with the "Mama-Read-To-Me-Monday" taking off.

Ciao for now,

Word World DVD Review: Get Up and Move

The creators of Word World are at it again....go to their Facebook page and enter the sweepstakes that end May 2nd (U.S. only). So hurry on over you only have a few days left to enter.

We just received a copy Word World DVD: Get Up and Move

Product Details

• Actors: WordFriends
• Directors: WordWorld
• Format: Animated, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: NCircle Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: February 1, 2011
• Run Time: 60 minutes

It is the latest release from the creators of Word World. It features all out Word World friends, duck , sheep, bear, frog, dog, pig and ant. There are 4 episodes, totally 60 minutes of viewing time. The episodes are:
Sheep's First Bike Ride: Bear and Sheep learn to build the word bike but it takes some perseverance for Sheep to learn how to ride this new WordThing! 
Duck at Bat: Duck loses the letter B from his baseball bat jut before the big game. He tries to build other words to hit the ball - Mat, Hat - but it's going to take a B to hit a homerun! 
Dog's Having a Party!: Dog and Duck want to throw a party at Dog's house. With the help of Sheep, they learn that H is the perfect party letter! They can make hotdogs, hats, horns and hula hoops. Hurray! 
Think in the Rink: Duck and Dog want to join Sheep and Frog in their ice skating show, but the enthusiastic duo gets carried away and breaks the ice skating rink. Will the WordFriends think up a good solution to the problem before the show begins?

My Review: The DVD went in the player as soon as we returned from the mailbox. It was like Christmas for my kiddies all over again. Princess and Monkey sat through the entire program and even sang along to the theme song. It was very educational from the opening to the end. As usual there was no disappointment from the Word World friends to entertain with songs and rhymes and learning. The first episode started with a new word-thing and the friends Sheep and Bear teaching the concept of keep trying at things in order to become familiar with them, spelling, word composition and learning to ride a bike. The second episode discuss word family "-at" and how one letter can make a difference. The third episode teaches how one letter (H) can create many different words to have fun. The final episode is about using your brain to solve a problem. I really enjoy watching Word World and how a parent can use it as part of the learning process for phonetics, letter recognition and word building with word families all wrapped up in an entertaining little world where words come alive in front of your children's eyes. The creators, I must say, amaze me that it was never thought of while I was growing up. We give "Get Up and Move" 3 thumbs up out of 3 thumbs (our rating system for this review). Well done Word World!!!!

Very much a DVD well worth purchasing for your children, it truly entertains!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this DVD from Word World in exchange for my review. The review is purely the expression of my opinion and you can make up your own thoughts on the product.

Ciao for now,

Some FUN-ucational ideas...

Hi everyone... I hope you all are enjoying the Blog-versary giveaways and are entering them all so you get a chance to win some great items. There are a few more coming up next week as we come to a close for the celebrations, so come back and check them out.

Today, I just wanted to show you some little things I have been working on lately. The family will be going back East in May for my baby sis's wedding...we will be staying for almost an entire month!!!! So we will be driving down and the thought of spending 16 hours or more with the kids in their car seats I have been trying yo come up with things for them to do to keep them from getting cranky and sick of being strapped in outside of the stops and refuelling. We have our portable DVD player which is always handy but who wants to watch movies for 16 hours...not me. So I thought of some FUN-udcational things they could do.
Monkey has become quite the little learner lately. Taking after Princess during her homeschooling periods. I had some shape and colour lapbooks I created out of inspiration from wonderful sites out there. And after showing him a couple of times he was able to correctly match them all.
I have been like a pack-rat every time I go to the local home reno stores, gathering paint chips left and right...doesn't feel like stealing to you??? I know I always feel like I am stealing but when Mr. Man asks what I am going to do with my paint chip stash,  I always reply "make stuff, of course." So I used the Snail Trail tutorial for creating word families and made up our version. I actually added more word families, while I was working on them so we could discuss them as Princess learns the primary ones first (-at, -og,-it,-an,-ox, -un, etc).  Then I had some of the Disney Behr ones from HD, and was wondering what to do with them other than create a matching colour game.. and came up with this....

One from Monkey and One for Princess, of course to cut down on squabbles. 

 So I took the paint chip and removed the shapes off the top (did you know they most were easily peeled off (you'll see why I say most)

 here it is peeled off

 see why I said most...black was the very difficult to peel off, had to take scissors and trim around to clean it up

 Ta-da!!! All peeled off

Then Ijust glued them around a piece of card stock, laminated the card stock and the second set of matching, picked up pack of hook and loops at the dollar store and stuck on top of the laminated version and back of the second set and it is good to go. 

 Finished Colour Matching Travel Game!

So I say "ha-ha" to Mr. Man who didn't think I would every use the paint chip stash for anything!

Other Paint Chip things in the works:
shape paint chip matching travel game
paint chip matchbooks and journals

Monkey's Easter Egg Matching colour Game (using paint chips and colourful plastic easter eggs) he
                                                                         matches the egg colour to the paint chip colour.
Easter Bunny Garland (an idea I got from a blog but cannot find the link to give it too you, if you know it can you put it in the comments. Sorry to the blogger, I usually bookmark these). [Pics to follow]

Ciao for now,

Dr. Sears Family Essentials and Giveaway (CLOSED)

I had the great privilege of being able to listen in on a webinar by Dr. Jim Sears, co-host of The Doctors TV show, yesterday. Dr. Jim is also from the family of doctors behind such things as AskDrSears.com and the books like The Baby Book, The Discipline Book, and Dr. Sears' Lean Kids, to name a few of them. The webinar was regarding the topic of the Paediatric Nutrition and in part to discuss the Dr. Sears Family Essentials. In the webinar, Dr. Jim discussed many of the things that are important with making sure that kids get the best nutrition for their growing bodies. I really enjoyed the discussion part where questions were posed to Dr. Jim. The information on picky eaters and how to get them eating was something I was  definitely interested in with Princess being an extreme picky eater as opposed to Monkey who eats what you put in front of him, for the most part.

Dr. Jim Sears

Some of the tips Dr. Jim suggested for picky eaters were: using the disguising method as per blending up the good for you stuff and adding it to meals. He also suggested giving the kids an empty plate and having your meal on your plate and once they notice that they have nothing to eat they may ask for what you are eating. Princess Picky-Eater is the most difficult person in my house. She will find every excuse to not eat and usually finishes the bread first or the drink and then talk throughout the rest of her meal time. I have tried everything from making meal time fun with different cutouts and the muffin tin thing but it lasts for one time them it is a fight with her to get her to finish her meal. She is great negotiator. I honestly think she could sell snow to  a snowman, she's that good (something she gets from her Daddy.)

So I will be trying some of these ideas with her if any of you have a suggestion on how to over come her picky-ness I welcome the advice. Please I will try anything to get her to eat. (I am begging you...I'm on my knees here.)

On to Dr. Sears Family Esstenials.....
So once I heard about the Dr. Sears Family Essentials, I wanted to find out more. The Dr. Sears Family Essentials are doctor-formulated and kid-approved line of 100 % all natural drinks, snacks and supplements to give children the essential daily nutrients to help them grow healthy, strong and smart. It was developed by Dr. Bill Sears and his family to help combat the overtaking epidemic facing us today of childhood obesity and all the illnesses associated with it.

Vanilla Drizzle POPUMZ™

The Dr. Sears Family Essentials include a variety of interesting ways to ensure that children of all ages are able to get those nutrients necessary for a healthy body.
First, there is the POPUMZ™, 100% all-natural popped wholegrain crisps that are packed with protein to help build strong muscles, fibre for healthy digestion and Omega-3 DHA, which is an essential component for the growth and development of young minds and bodies. POPUMZ™ come in a wide variety of flavours to fit every child's taste buds. They are designed with kids in mind with their  involvement in vast activities on a daily basis from sports to activities and homework which have lead to the grazing or snacking prevalence that has taken over their lifestyles.  POPUMZ™ also comes with a drizzle of all-natural flavours of Chocolate, Vanilla or Caramel flavours that holds the Omega-3 DHA (100mg) to increase their appeal. Thus will become a anytime snack without all the guilt for you children (and even yourself.)

Caramel Drizzle POPUMZ™

Chocolate Drizzle POPUMZ™

Look at the different flavours available:
- Chocolate Drizzle
- Caramel Drizzle
- Vanilla Drizzle
Don't they sound yummy!
Only 90 Calories, 0 Trans Fat and 5 g of sugar, 2 g of dietary fibre (nutritional information is available in the details of the POPUMZ™.




Then there is  Cool Fuel, new to the Dr. Sears Family Essentials line, is an all-natural ready-to-drink shake that is fortified. The shakes allow the kids to get all the essential nutrients that they need to perform at their best whether they are in the classroom or out on the playground.  Cool Fuel is both gluten-free and lactose-free with no artificial flavours, colours, or sweeteners. In fact, it has 60% less sugar than competitive brands. It is available in Chocolate and Vanilla flavours.

Cool Fuel helps kids live better, play better, and learn better
-Dr. Sears Family Essentials website

- Cool Fuel contains an excellent source of Omega-3 DHA, along with 18 essential nutrients and antioxidants
- Cool Fuel has only 190 calories in 8 oz serving (237 ml), 9 g sugar, 4 g dietary fibre.
















Dr. Sears Family Essentials also has Fruit Chews which are fruit-based 100% all-natural supplements that will provide children with their necessary daily nutrients with Omega-3 DHA among other essentials that will boost immune, brain and neural function to name a few of their functions.

Now you can check out the Dr. Sears Family Essentials for yourself and see if they fit the needs of your children by visiting they website to get more information on the products I touched on here as well as other products they have. Their website can be found at www.drsearsfamilyessentials.com of by clicking the various links I provided throughout this post.

Giveaway

Dr. Sears Family Essentials is providing one of my lucky readers with one month supply of samples from their line of drinks, snacks, and supplements. 

Isn't this fantastic!!!!

Here are the ways you are able to earn an entry for the giveaway:
(please leave a separate comment for each and a way to contact you if not in your profile)
1. Check out Dr. Sears Family Essentials, come back and tell me what flavour you would choose of the POPUMZ™(found in the list of the left sidebar of the site)
2. Leave a tip on how to get my Princess Picky-Eater to eat (Mandatory entry....just kidding....but please give me some pointers as one mom to another mom/ dad/ guardian, who can help out a Mama)
3. Follow AM2CW (already do please remind me)
4. Grab the AM2CW blog button and leave the location in your comment
5. Blog about this giveaway on you blog, or tweet about it, or even spread the word on Facebook (1 entry per method)
6. Follow AM2CW on Facebook or Twitter (links on the blog's right sidebar)
7. Enter any of the other Giveaways on AM2CW (1 entry per giveaway entered) don't forget to tell me separately which ones you entered.
There you have it a few chances to win! I hope you will all leave a tip for helping out with Princess Picky-Eater take the opportunity to enter and give the Dr. Sears Family Essentials a try for a month!!!

Giveaway will run until March 31st!

Winner announced April 1st (no joking)!!!!

Good Luck to all of you who enter!

Disclaimer: I have received a one-year supply  from Dr. Sears Family Essential in return for this post. The opinions expressed here are that of my own and I have obtained no monetary gain from Dr. Sears Family Essential. You are free to make your own decisions on this product.

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Ciao for now,

Little Greens---Dapple Baby's YouTube Channel

Hi everyone,
Dapple Baby just informed me about their new Youtube Channel, Little Greens, where they educate parents on how to create a healthy, safe, clean and fun environment for their little ones. Little Greens will have bi-monthly episodes on their channel addressing various questions and discussion topics.

Also as a bonus to you is that if you submit a question to Little Greens Youtube channel, and it is featured in one of the videos, you will be entered in to a draw for a $25 gift certificate giveaway from a variety of sponsors such as Babies R Us, diapers.com, abesmarket.com, among many more. So what do you have to lose, watch their episode, and ask a questions you have in their Little Greens Youtube channel page, and get a chance to win if it makes it to their next episode.

Check it out and see what their are discussing.
Thanks to Dapple Baby for letting me help spread the word about Little Greens.

Ciao for now,

Got Great News on Baby Gates!!!

Well, Happy Valentine's Day everyone I hope your day was filled with lots of love! I know mine was but everyday is like Valentine's Day with Princess and Monkey! Mr. Man does a pretty good job at making me feel loved too.

Auto-Close Gate

Well, back to the reason for my post. I just wanted to tell you about the newest additional to the Munchkin® arsenal of baby gear must haves...they now have Safety Gates. They are not just you regular run of the mill Safety Gates either. The Safety Gates come in a wide variety of measurements, styles that will be aesthetically pleasing to your decor, as well as different price points plus various mounting methods to fit you budget & needs. Munchkin® has a Safety Gate Selector on their website that will help you choose the best gate to suit your lifestyle. The Safety Gates are built to the highest quality standards  and rigorously tested meeting and exceeding both American and European standards, using the latest technology and the smallest of details are designed to get the maximum safety out of their Gates. Each Safety Gate from Munchkin® has at least 2 locking mechanisms to ensure that your child cannot unlock the gate. And amazingly the Munchkin® Safety Gates are approved to be used "EveryPlace™" in your house where you need it to be safe.

To get yourself more information please visit www.infantgates.com 

Here is something for you...A Contest!!!!

Numi Gate (Aluminum)

From February 15th to March 31st, Munchkin® is having a FUN contest on their Facebook page called “Protect Your Baby’s Every Move.” If you go to their Facebook page and upload funny pictures or videos of your kiddies on the move, such as dancing, climbing, crawling, walking/running or taking their first steps, you could have a chance to be a weekly Facebook winner (from Feb. 15 – May 15) to win a Safety Gate and $50 gift card to redo your nursery.


*One grand-prize winner will also receive a nursery set from Munchkin® (valued at $530) and a $250 American Express gift card to help with their design.
*A second winner will receive a $250 American Express gift card to help decorate their child’s room.

I hope that you will stop by their Facebook page and enter your self for the chance to win... who doesn't need a safety gate when you are a parent to a mover???

Disclaimer: I have received a free gate from Munchkin® in return for this post. The opinions expressed here are that of my own and I have obtained no monetary gain fromMunchkin®. You are free to make your own decisions on this product.

Ciao for now,