Archive for January, 2010

4 Survival To Go {Donating to Haiti}

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

As you know, the recent disaster in Haiti, snowfall in the Northeast and severe flooding and tornadoes in California, serve as a reminder of how important it is to be properly prepared. While few like to consider that a natural disaster or life-endangering event will affect them or their family, emergencies do happen. 4 Survival To Go’s premier kit, the 72-hour BOK, is filled with over 100 life-saving essentials like a 5-in-1 hand crank flashlight/cell phone charger/siren/light/radio, a compass, ABC gauze (which stops bleeding on contact), as well as toothbrush, 4S playing cards and a multi-functional army knife. The BOK, a $99.00 3-day Emergency Survival Kit, is a must-have for anyone who lives in disaster or weather-prone areas, as well as for drivers who just want to be prepared for a serious or non-life-threatening emergency.

Think of this from a parent’s stand point as well, got a child who’s new on the road, or heading off to college or are you taking your family on a road trip soon??  Be prepared!!

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In response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti, 4 Survival To Go has joined forces with NBA legend Alonzo Mourning and his Athlete Relief Fund for Haiti to raise much-needed aid. Until the end of February, 4 Survival To Go will donate 20% of sales to the Athlete Relief Fund for Haiti to benefit Project Medishare’s work in the Haitian community.

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About 4 Survival To Go & Founders: Shannon McGauley & Carmen Wilson:

Inspired by the story and undeniable heroism of James Kim, the San Francisco-based tech journalist who died searching for help after his family got lost in Oregon in 2006, Shannon McGauley (a single female) and Carmen Wilson (a busy mom) pooled their savings and resources to start 4 Survival To Go, a company dedicated to changing the way people think about survival by equipping individuals with OSHA and FEMA recommended products, prepackaged kit, and resources that help them survive unforeseen emergencies and weather-related disasters.

Disasters may not be happening in your back yard, but they could and there’s nothing wrong with being prepared for the worst {or by giving the gift of said preparation}, that’s a typical motherly instinct!

National Birth Defects Prevention Month

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

About 120,000 babies (1 in 33) in the United States are born each year with birth defects.   A birth defect is an abnormality of structure, function or metabolism (body chemistry) present at birth that results in physical or mental disabilities or death. Thousands of different birth defects have been identified. Birth defects are the leading cause of death in the first year of life.

January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month.  The National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN) is a group of individuals involved in birth defects surveillance, research, and prevention. It was created to establish and maintain a national network of state and population-based programs for birth defects surveillance and research. The Network assesses the impact of birth defects upon children, families, and health care; identifies factors that can be used to develop primary prevention strategies; and assists families and their providers in secondary disabilities prevention.

Birth Defect Research for Children, Inc. (BDRC) is a non-profit organization that provides parents and expectant parents with information about birth defects and support services for their children. BDRC has a parent-matching program that links families who have children with similar birth defects. BDRC also sponsors the National Birth Defect Registry, a research project that studies associations between birth defects and exposures to radiation, medication, alcohol, smoking, chemicals, pesticides, lead, mercury, dioxin and other environmental toxins.

So many of us want to help!  Here is a delightful boutique located in sunny Montecito California that does far more than just help.    Adrianna a former pharmisist is the proud owner of  Summer for Kids and she is passionate about children, their safety and education.  She understands the crucial importance of buying safe smart products for our children.  Her boutique consciously sells only products that promise to be safe, organic, healthy and educational for our kids.

 

Impressively, Summer For Kids donates 100%  of the stores profits to children’s local charities!  Very impressive right?! :-)   Shopping at this boutique not only supports charities it gives you a huge piece of mind!  Invaluable piece of mind, knowing anything you buy has carefully been selected by Adrianna.  You can trust her boutique has your child’s very best interest at heart.

 

Abes Market Brand of the Month {May Cookie Co.}

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Welcome to a new monthly feature as we bring you a favorite Abes Market brand once a month from here on out!  Everything at Abes Market is drool worthily, especially today’s brand!  If you are looking for all natural products for the entire family and your home, look no further!  Another special tidbit from Abes Market, not only do they bring you the best in natural products from bath & body to home decor, from babies to Fluffy the Cat, they also share with you the story, the face behind each amazing brand!

Our January Abes Market Brand of the Month, lip smacking, wipe the drool from your chin…May Cookie Co. As I write this it’s 11:30am and I’m starving!!  I don’t know about you but I could reach out and eat my computer screen right now!!!  LOOK at those delicious treats!!  No worries for those of you that have been good and stuck to your “healthy living” New Years Resolutions {I’m proud of you!!}, May Cookie Co. mixes are made from wholesome, all natural ingredients so it’s okay to indulge a bit!!

Susan is the brains behind May Cookie Co., let’s thank her for a job well done in creating goodness that we can consider a snack, but not feel guilty about; read more about Susan and her company here!  If you are looking for indoor activities to do with the kids to finish off the Winter months, I don’t have to remind you that baking with them is extremely enjoyable for all if you can get past the mess {breathe…let them make a mess once in a while, it’s okay…make Dad clean it up}! A hands-on baking experience is a learning experience for your little ones!  Plus, pre-measured packages like May Cookie Co. are a time and sanity saver for mom!  A win win!!

My middle child Connor helped me whip up a batch of May Cookie Co. Triple Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies last night and as a family of five, and a gallon of milk, only a few survived the evening!  They were ever so tasty and so easy to throw together.  The only things extra I needed was an egg, a stick of unsalted butter, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.  This pre-measured package came with a packet of natural raw sugar, a packet of flour mix with whole wheat flour and oats, and a packet of chocolate chip blend.  They were wonderful and all naturally healthy and a treat for my boys who live off of popcorn most nights {their go-to snack}! Quite eager to try out the rest but I will give it a few days, can’t let my family think I’m going to bake all the time!  They will be shocked!!

If you are going to try May Cookie Co. at Abes Market {and why wouldn’t you…it’s all mixed and ready to go for you, the hard part is done…}, try the sampler pack above.  Quick and easy for your next girls night, brilliant afternoon activity for the kids & you to share, surprise hubby with a real after dinner treat!  OR, give as gifts!  Enjoy and stay tuned for more fabulous brands from Abes Market every month!

Little Pim {GIVEAWAY}

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Here is an exciting innovative educational tool you can use at home with your baby, toddler or pre-schooler, Little Pim!   When I look at my pre-schooler I hope I am doing everything I humanly can to encourage creativity, intelligence, spontaneity and success.  For a pre-schooler that really just means doing some great crafts, counting to 30, tracing letters and being polite :-)   But we all want our kids to strive, be successful, confident, and brilliant.

Little Pim is literally a cute cartoon panda bear character who teachers your child a foreign language using the Entertainment Emersion Method.   The entire DVD is spoken by native speakers, and words are presented and repeated at regular intervals. Each Little Pim DVD focuses on sixty words and phrases typically acquired in a toddler’s primary language, providing the essential building blocks for language acquisition.

Little Pim DVDs are designed and paced for developing minds. Young children respond enthusiastically to Little Pim’s format, a combination of animation and live action. Babies respond to black and white, therefore the panda captures the attention of even the youngest viewers. Each 35-minute DVD is segmented into seven 5-minute episodes to accommodate a young child’s attention span and encourage pausing for parent interaction. Simple sentences are broken down into easy-to-understand parts, and reinforced through repetition.

We were lucky enough to receive the set above as a sample for Nicholas.  It is amazing to sit and hear Nicholas just repeat the words while playing, he laughs at himself having fun doing something completely different and entertaining to him :-)   I was impressed at how quickly the panda character caught my busy 3 year old attention but I think too that it was interesting for Nicholas to see kids his age saying these words in Spanish, “if they can do it, so can I”.

You have to check out Little Pim’s website to fully appreciate this fabulous children’s entertainment and learning series.  If you have the desire of giving your child an edge, of opening doors, broadening horizons for him then help him learn a foreign language, now.  According to much research, many scientist, now is the very best time to help your child learn a foreign language.

Use the flashcards, DVD’s, stuffed Panda toy or music CD’s to get your child interested in learning any of the nine choices of languages.   AND interestingly, Little Pim is going digital with a new iPhone application!  How fun is that, you child can play games anywhere anytime.  Little Pim Word Bag, developed by Animax, is an interactive word game featuring Little Pim the panda. The game uses adorable artwork, music and sound effects to teach children 27 everyday vocabulary words in a second language – French or Spanish. “Word Bag” costs $1.99 to download and can be used on both an iPhone and an iPod.

There really is too much to say in one feature, you must visit the Little Pim website to understand how wonderful this learning tool is.  After all, Little Pim is designed by Julia Pimsleur Levine a uniquely previous filmmaker, language teacher, and now mother who is also the daughter of Dr. Paul Pimsleur, who created one of the most popular and acclaimed audio teaching language methods for adults.  So obviously Little Pim is a masterpiece of exceptional expertise in the area of educating language to people old and young :-)

Enter to win a free Little Pim DVD of your choice (10 languages to choose from). Just go to LittlePim.com and comment on one blog post. http://www.littlepim.com. Be sure to enter your email address in the appropriate field so you can be contacted if you win! If the winner is also a Little Pim newsletter subscriber, they will also be sent a Little Pim plush panda.

Good luck!

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Pure and Honest Kids {20% DISCOUNT}

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
The following is an Advertorial by Pure & Honest Kids.

Pure and Honest Kids (www.pureandhonestkids.com) is the online children’s boutique you’ve been looking for…from stylish children’s fashions, to practical and fun gifts, charming nursery décor and modern baby gear, we’ve got it all!

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Pure and Honest Kids is a stylish, high-quality alternative to the big-box department and super stores. Our superior customer care, convenient online shopping and quick shipping make buying for your little ones easier than ever!

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Pure and Honest Kids features collections such as Daily Tea, Claesen’s, Deux Par Deux, Livie & Luca, and ERGObaby, plus many more. Check our Web site often, as we are always adding new styles and charming products to our site.

We also carry an extensive selection of organic baby products including organic clothing and eco-friendly gifts, toys, and gear. Who said you can’t be trendy and environmentally friendly?!?! Not us!

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The best part about shopping at Pure and Honest Kids is not only do we carry the sweetest gifts, baby gear you can’t live without, and the cutest kid’s clothing, but our prices are right, too. We frequently have sales, including the major markdowns we just made after the holidays on customer favorites Daily Tea, Deux par Deux, Alphabet, Coco BonBons, plus many others. Quantities are limited, so hurry to make your purchases now. It’s a perfect time to stock up for next fall and winter!

And as our gift to you, we are offering 20 percent off your entire purchase for all BabyLuxe {daily} E-mail Subscribers!

(Expires: 01/31/10)
Coupon Code: BABYLUXE

You can use this coupon code on top of our numerous already-reduced prices. This is one deal you don’t want to miss!

Pure and Honest Kids- Where Kids Can Be Kids!

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