mommypalooza™ ~ a daily dose of mommy mayhem.

Thirst-Quenching Teacher Appreciation Gift

It's Teacher Appreciation Week!  One of the things I love about my kids' school is that the PTO puts together a list every year of each teacher's "favorites" list.  Teachers are asked to indicate what their favorites are in several categories:  soft drink, flowers, candy, team to root for, restaurant, etc.  So, this week the kids and I have been using that list to come up with different treats for their teachers.  

{giveaway}: Pledge 20 Minutes of Reading a Day with LeapFrog

Growing up, reading was always stressed as such an important subject in school.  I'm happy to say that now, as a mom, I am carrying on that philosophy with my own kids.  One of the things that I love about my kids' school is that they stress early reading habits from the moment kids set foot as students there.  My 3rd grader has a book log that he is required to fill out each day for his weekly reading.  20 minutes a day is all it takes.  It has been a great way for my hubs and I to stay on top of his reading and hold him accountable for it each day.

Read Across America and Celebrate Dr. Seuss's Birthday

 This year Dr. Seuss’s birthday (March 2nd) corresponds with Read Across America Day.  This year it will be celebrated on Friday March 1st.   No American writer has had as great an impact on children's literature as Dr. Seuss. His imaginative characters, vivid illustrations, and catchy rhymes are instantly recognizable to anyone who grew up reading his stories. Create a personal library of children’s books by joining Dr. Seuss & His Friends book club.

This is a great deal that my family has taken advantage of, all for only $5.95! It includes:

• The Cat in the Hat, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Ten Apples On Top, Go Dog Go! & The Tooth Book

• Free colorful Cat in the Hat Backpack to carry all your books in.

• Free shipping.

• Free Dr. Seuss & His Friends Audiobook read by Jason Alexander, David Hyde Pierce or Kelsey Grammer. *Note that this is only available during the Dr. Seuss Birthday weekend celebration.

My kids are so excited about getting to celebrate Dr. Seuss this year because they'll get to have a "Wacky Dress Day" this week at school as well as a read-in where they'll get to share all their favorite Dr. Seuss books.  

For more Dr. Seuss celebration ideas, check out my Pinterest board!  How will you celebrate this year?

12 fun ways to celebrate 12-12-12 with your kids!

It's something that will happen this Wednesday and then won't again in our lifetime.  12-12-12 {a.k.a., Day of the Dozen}, or December 12, 2012 will be here this week and because I'm a mom who thinks any occasion is a great occasion to have treats and celebrate with the kids, this date will be no different.

I am sure there are countless great ideas out there and I'd love to have yours!  How do you plan on commemorating this once-a-century date with your kids?  Here are a few ideas I came up with:

1. Fill-a-dozen Surprise - Take an egg carton and fill each compartment with a fun treat, note, or surprise!  Kids love little treats like this and think "inexpensive".  Something as simple as a mint or sticker will suffice.  The joy is in discovering what awaits them!
2. Make your own 12-topping pizza - Make it a homemade pizza night and offer up 12 different toppings for kids to choose from.  Include different kinds of cheeses, veggies, sauces, etc.  The possibilities are endless!
3. I love you by the dozens - Write your kiddo a poem or note listing 12 reasons you think they rock!  They'll love the praise and you'll love making them feel special commemorating this special day!
4. A dozen faces - Make a collage {either in print or digital} of 12 fun faces of your kids.  If you have a 12 year-old, what a fun thing to include a pic from each year!
5. Snacks by the dozen - Create a fun snack mix for your kids by taking a small baggie and including 12 different snacky items.  I did something similar to this to celebrate 100 days of school last year.  For example, 12 Cheerios, 12 Chex mix squares, 12 marshmallows, 12 raisins... you get the idea!  Super fun to make AND eat!
6. Books by the dozen - Pick out and make a stack of 12 fun books that you plan to read throughout the day with your kids.  Have fun reading throughout the day and keeping track of each one by number!
7. Bake-a-dozen - Bake a dozen cookies!! This is a no-brainer!  And at this time of year, what's not to love about baking?  You could even bake 2 dozen - keep 12 and give 12 away to a friend or neighbor.
8. Dozens of math facts - Try one of these fun learning activities to celebrate Dozen Day!  Thanks, LaSota's Little Learners!
9. Build by the dozen - Use 12 blocks, LEGOs, or other objects to build a tower or something creative.
10. A dozen moves - Have some indoor excercise or dancing fun by doing 12 somersaults, 12 jumping jacks, or 12 push-ups, etc.  This is a great way to work on gross motor and counting skills with your kids.
11. Insta-dozen - Take 12 photos throughout the day.  And then, of course, share them on Instagram.  'Nuff said!
12. Paint by 12 - Paint, draw, or color a picture with 12 objects.  For example, 12 stars in the sky, 12 fish in the sea, 12 apples on a tree, etc.  You get the idea.

So, what fun ideas do YOU have to celebrate this special day and make it fun?

Heritage shapes the future. #DestapaSuFuturo

Growing up, my Hispanic heritage definitely played a part in how and what I thought about college and education.  Neither of my parents had graduated from college - my dad, in fact, has a 10th grade education.  My mother has since earned her college degree and my dad, though he has never pursued a formal education, still remains one of the smartest people I have ever known.  I mean, his lifelong motto has always been "THINK" - and that's just what he's instilled in me.

Still, both of my parents always talked to me about going to college.  They never made it out to seem like an obstacle, so naturally I just figured it's what people always do.  Then I got to high school.  Although I wasn't a fan of school I still always knew that I needed to go to college - if for no other reason than to fulfill my parent's dreams for me.  But my parents were divorced by then and neither of them had the money to send me to college.  My then boyfriend {now husband} and I moved in together and I worked full-time while I paid my way through college on a very part time basis.  I loved working and having a full-time income but I also loved that I was able to pursue my college dreams.  I also knew it would take me at least twice as long since I could never take on a full load of courses.  It was tough, I am not gonna lie about that.  But looking back, it was SO worth it!

I started out as an Elementary Education major and one day, while sitting in an Elementary Ed Literature class, I thought to myself, "What in the hell am I doing here? I can't be a teacher?! This is so not for me."  I went to see my college advisor and changed my major that day.  I lost a few credits that were Elementary Ed specific, but it was so worth it. I switched to a Communications major with emphasis in Speech and Mass Media. Talk about a perfect fit? I was in HEAVEN!! I actually always wanted to be a news anchor and used to practice in front of my dresser mirror with a hairbrush as my mic when I was a little girl.  I know -- how's that for a visual?  Anyway, with the way my parents always talked to me about pursuing my dreams, I knew it was totally possible.  But the reality of it is, I fell in love with the public relations side of my degree and have never looked back. 

I'm thrilled to help share the news about Coca-Cola and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF).  They have collaborated for more than 30 years and are committed to reaching their goal of  having a college degree in every Latino household by the year 2025.  Is that AMAZFEST or what??!!  In addition to this, they want to motivate people to get involved and help make a difference.From now through October 31st, students can apply for a scholarship here by answering three thought-provoking essay questions. Students are invited to reflect on how their heritage affects their career goals, the importance of education in their lives and their community service experiences.

Who do you know that would benefit from this scholarship initiative? Share the good news with them today!

{Disclosure: This post has been sponsored and shared in collaboration with Coca-Cola and Latina Bloggers Connect.  All opinions and thoughts shared herein are my own. No one is the boss of me!}

Why I'm so Glad® about packing school lunches!

My kids take their lunches most of the time during the school year, so I am always looking for fun, simple, and creative ways to pack them more than the usual peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Enter Glad® Food Storage containers! 

The first thing I noticed when I received these is that they come in SO many different sizes!  And, I love that they are so versatile that you can use them for everything from school lunches, to storing leftovers, to storing craft supplies.  The possiblities seem endless!  I also like that they all feature easy interlocking lids.  This is especially important to me since I only have one dedicated cupboard where I store these kinds of containers and lids.

One of my kids' favorite foods in the whole world is pizza.  Well, who are we kidding - most kids in the whole world love it too!  They often see those prepackaged lunches in the refrigerated section at the grocery store that feature a mini pizza and fixings to go with it, but I just have a hard time buying those. I feel like I have no control over the content of what's in the pizza.  Here's what I've packed my kids recently and they have come to love pizza for lunch now as a result:

I purchase whole grain flatbread and cut it in half since that is usually plenty for my boys at lunchtime.  I was able to use the entree size of the Glad® Food Storage containers to hold this.  In another, mini round size, I put just enough pizza sauce (or you can use marinara) to spread on the flatbread.  And to hold all the fixins, I used the small snack size container to put some pepperonis and shredded cheese.  Finally, I used another mini round to hold some grapes.  I usually finish off packing their lunches with a yogurt tube and juice box and then they're all set! 

Here is everything with the corresponding lids. No waste lunch!

 My kids have reusable lunch bags we pack their lunches in and I'm excited to share that everything from the Glad® Food Storage container line fit in nicely!

Another great use I have personally discovered for the mini round size containers in particular, is to use them to hold snacks that my kids take to school.  They're the perfect size to hold snack size portions of goldfish crackers, fruit, cereal, pretzels, and more!

My kids and I feel good about not having so much trash and waste come from their lunchbox.  How about you? Do you use reusable containers to pack your kids' school lunches?  One last bit of info is that all of these Glad® Food Storage containers are microwavable and dishwasher safe {top rack}, which I also love!  For more recipes, tips and ideas on back-to-school lunches OR to share your own ideas, visit Glad® on Facebook!

{Disclosure: I have partnered with The Glad Products Company through DailyBuzz Moms to help promote their Food Storage products. I have been compensated for my time commitment to review this product. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. Thank you GLAD!}

Donating school supplies with Elmer's #BagItForward

Recently I shared with you that my kids and I were excited to be part of the Champions for Kids Simple Service Project with Elmer's #BagItForward project.  It was so fun to shop, collect, then donate some much needed school supplies on our local area.

 

Just some of what we collected to donate!

 

 

These little athletes have big heart! We collected supplies after a practice recently.

 

Football players have heart!

 

This is the receiving facility for our supplies. So many great people help to sort through all of the much needed donations.

 

Still more donations being dropped off at the community facility!

 

As I mentioned in my first post, my kids and I have talked extensively about how some kids' families cannot even afford to pay their light bill or to buy food, let alone pencils, glue or paper for the upcoming school year.  I know that at my kids' school, each year before summer break the kids are encouraged to donate any school supplies they feel comfortable parting with.  Most of the time I allow my kids to donate it all since I tend to purchase extras anyway.  I think that's a great reminder to kids that nothing should ever be wasted or taken for granted.  We chose to donate to a local community organization and its Health & Human Services Department because the supplies will go to serve our local kids.  They accept donations throughout the year and it makes me feel good to know that we are helping families in our own backyard this back-to-school season.  You can view all of our photos from the shopping trip here on my Google+ story.

To find out more about the Champions For Kids, visit their website here, and follow them on Twitter or Facebook.  You can also visit Elmer's on Facebook or Twitter. 

{Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Champions for Kids #CBias #SocialFabric.  All opinions shared are my own. No one is the boss of me!}

Gearing up for our school supply service project for Elmer's #BagItForward

We all know how crucial it is for every student who is going back to school to have what they need in order to succeed.  I am so grateful that my husband and I are able to provide our kids with their basic school needs and even beyond.  A new backpack is not exactly a basic school need since they have perfectly functioning ones from previous years, but they are still privileged enough to receive one.  Many of us know, that's not the case for so many others.

I was so excited to learn about the #ChampionsforKids Elmer's #BagItForward Simple Service Project.  What an amazing opportunity to rally our community {and kids} to help those who cannot afford the essential school supplies needed to get off on the right foot this upcoming school year!

When you visit the website you'll see this:

 

Champions for Kids website

.... an explanation of the Simple Service Project -- simply get your friends and family together to show their support by gathering school supplies which will go to support a local classroom in your community.

 

My kids and I decided that we will host a school supplies donation drive at an upcoming football practice.  We'll encourage parents and kids to drop off their donations to us when they go to practice.  We've talked extensively about how some kids' families cannot even afford to pay their light bill or to buy food, let alone pencils, glue or paper for the upcoming school year.  I know that at my kids' school, each year before summer break the kids are encouraged to donate any school supplies they feel comfortable parting with.  Most of the time I allow my kids to donate it all since I tend to purchase extras anyway.  I think that's a great reminder to kids that nothing should ever be wasted or taken for granted.  The organization we'll be donating our school supplies to is our local county Health & Human Services Department.  Although we live in a seemingly affluent county, many residents don't realize that there are various parts of the county which are considered low-income.  This department accepts school supply donations throughout the year and they are distributed to identified low-income families of the school district.  I am personally very happy that we'll be able to help families in our own backyard this back-to-school season and I think my kids will be happy to be involved as well!

I recently took the kids to purchase a few supplies of our own to donate.  They were excited about seeing all the fun backpacks and school glue and crayons out on display.  There's just something that makes me smile when I see kids giddy over markers and glue sticks!  You can view all of our photos from the shopping trip here on my Google+ story.  

 

My kids were so excited to discover Elmer's Glitter Glue! So many fun projects are possible with this!

 

After all was said and done, we had loads of supplies to donate and happy, excited kids!

To find out more about the Champions For Kids, visit their website here, and follow them on Twitter or Facebook.  You can also visit Elmer's on Facebook or Twitter.  And be sure to stay tuned for my post next week where I will share how our Simple Service Project went and what we collected!

 

{Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Champions for Kids #CBias #SocialFabric.  All opinions shared are my own. No one is the boss of me!}

 

 

8 Must-Have Back-to-School Apps for Apple + Android

Why, oh why must summer come to an end? As much as I've tried to put it out of my mind that these are the last couple of weeks that I have with my kids at home, I am well aware that it's time for me to get my butt back into gear with back-to-school season.

Because we are a household divided, recently I've been researching apps for both Apple and Android platforms.  The hubs has an iPhone while I will be sticking with my Android phone and tablet (thank you very much!), and the kids have iPad2, iPod, and a Kindle Fire.  So, as you can imagine, I like to find apps that work for both operating platforms to please everyone in the house.  I've got 8 apps to share with you that I think will give you a great kick-start to the impending back-to-school season.  If you end up trying any out, drop me a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Apple apps:

• iHomework ($.99) - This is a great all-around app for students who want to keep themselves organized during the school year.  Users can keep up with schedules, grades, work assignments, to-dos, teacher information, and more.  Set reminder notifications of tests, things to do and more even without the app being open.  Keep track of course information including GPA and grade calculations.
  
  
• Stanza (free) - Enjoy over 50,000 book titles and literary works at your fingertips!  Easily download your selections to your device or computer.
  
  
• Creatures of Light (free) - An absolutely fantastic app that will excite your little learner about science.  This is a one-of-a-kind app that features stunning photo galleries and interactive animations while exploring the natural phenonmenon of light and how creatures of the Earth are related to it. Kids will enjoy learning about how fireflies produce light and how ocean life are illuminated by light.
  
  
• Cooliris (free) - An app created for the visual learner.  Find stunningly clear photos on just about every subject that a teacher could possibly lecture about!  A nice app that will give you visual representation in a beautiful display.

Android apps:

• School Schedule (free) - A simple app that gives students flexibility to set reminders, notifications, and keep their school schedule organized and updated.  Allows the option to create multiple schedules - great for managing multiple children's school schedules.
  
  
• MyHomework Now & School Alerts (free) - A great tool that gives parents the ability to stay connected with their child's school by managing school schedules and notifications.  Receive notifications and alerts from schools who are using the app as part of their communication with parents.
  
  
• Assignment Planner (free) - Easily keep track of assignments, tests, projects, grades, and more.  Offers the ability to stay organized and informed about school subjects and goals.
  
  
• NASA App (free) - Give your little astronomer a look into the great subject of space with this vivid app packed full of images, videos, mission information, and fun facts from NASA.

Happy app-ing!

Prepackaged school supplies: Why I'm against them.

 

I may be the only mom in the WORLD who feels this way {though I know I can't possibly be}, but I loathe the person who invented the notion of pre-packaged school supplies for kids.  Seriously.  Could you get any more lame than taking the fun out of back-to-school shopping for not only the kids, but the parents, too?

It's no secret that I am HUUUUGE on back-to-school traditions, especially back-to-school shopping for supplies.  So, you can imagine my outrage when I learned earlier this year that my kids' school had decided WITHOUT my vote, mind you, to mandate pre-packaged school supplies for ALL students this fall.  Shopping for school supplies has been a family tradition since I was just a little girl.  I have fond, fond memories of picking out a fresh box of crayons and a nice, sleek school box each year with my mom.  We'd hit up the stores and get everything from glue, pencils, sharpeners, rulers, and the like.  Of course, this was before couponing was as big as it is now, so my mom didn't do much bargain hunting.  We usually just hit up the our local stores like H-E-B and the old Winn's stores to get the good deals on supplies. 

When my boys became school-aged back-to-school shopping quickly became one of our fun traditions too.  The hubs and I took our oldest shopping for supplies when he started Kindergarten and it is still something we talk about to this day as a family.

Let me make myself perfectly clear: I am NOT against pre-packaged school supplies.  I am simply against mandating them to all parents, like myself.  Even if this is being done to save $10, $15 or even $20, I personally don't care.  I'd rather pay the extra money and still get to experience that tradition with my kids. Although, for the record, I usually have found some amazing deals and coupons and am one that carefully seeks out the best prices on glue sticks so I think even I could come under budget of the pre-packaged rate.  I realize I'm probably in the minority in thinking this way.  And that's ok.  I've never been one to fall in line with what everyone else is doing anyway, so that's par for the course. 

So this back-to-school season my kids and I will be somewhat saddened. Not only because summer is coming to an end but because we won't be able to continue with our fun back-to-school shopping traditions that we usually do.  I love my kids school, staff, and administration and have nothing but the best things to say about them.  I am just very disappointed that the decision has been made to not give parents like me an option to buy school supplies in the traditional ways.  Plus, I've never been a fan for mandating many things in this world.  I'm left feeling just a bit robbed of my role as a mother and of ways that my kids and I celebrate certain traditions. 

How about you? Does your kids' school mandate pre-packaged school supplies? Is shopping for back-to-school supplies a fun tradition that both you and your kids look forward to? I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments.