Extras that will make going back to school easier!

Princess Linens offers a fabulous Crayon Keeper that you can send along with your child to school. This way they can keep their desk or locker organized and can't complain about losing their crayons! The Doodlebugz Crayola Crayon Keeper holds your favorite Crayola crayons! They are perfect for art on-the-go and now come complete with 24 washable Crayola crayons!

The Doodlebag offered at Princess Linens is a great extra for your child to bring wih them everywhere. They can doodle their own notes in the Doodlebag will at school. Or they can keep friends names and phone numbers in their bag. The great product can be used over and over again. It is fun and convenient for you and your kids. Doodlebugz Crayola Doodlebagz are perfect big brother gifts, big sister gifts, and birthday gifts! With both Crayola washable crayons and chalk kids are sure to stay entertained!

Start your child off right with a sturdy and durable backpack from Lands' End! These bags can hold a ton of books and school supplies. Super easy to wipe clean so you don't have to worry about getting them dirty.

Lands’ End Multitask Backpack

Features include:

Stash panel for a jacket, sports gear or bike helmet
Separate bottom chamber to stow a set of shoes
360° reflective trim to keep kids visible
Mesh side pockets to hold water bottles
D-ring to clip on extras, like a lunch box
MP3/CD player pouch for tunes.


We also recommend getting the kids a HotStuff Lunch Box from Lands End. HotStuff® Lunch Box comes with a canister for hot food or drinks. With all the great features of our ClassMate® Lunch Box, including our new CleanSweep interior, HotStuff comes with a stainless steel insulated canister that holds up to 12 ounces. HotStuff® also has a second zippered compartment to hold even more, plus a small zip pocket for milk money. Canister lid is easy to screw on and off, even for little hands. For easy carrying a back strap slips over the handle on our wheeled packs, or use the carabiner to clip it to our other packs. PVC free. Polyester exterior. Spot clean. Canister is hand wash.

Win!

• A Lands’ End Multitask Backpack
• A Land's End Lunch Box
• A Crayon Keeper from Princess Linens
• A Doodlebag from Princess Linens

To enter to win ONE of the above FOUR prizes, just leave us a comment on this post.

Make sure that you have read and are following our Contest Guidelines.

For extra entries you may do the following:

• Blog about this giveaway, or the event, on your site and leave us an extra comment
• Add our main banner to your sidebar and let us know!

This giveaway will end on September 15th

To see ALL the giveaways for the Back to School Event you can find them here.

A Walk in the Park

Natalie is having a fun contest with her husband, but it's not just any contest she is trying to raise money to help cure kids cancer. You can read about the contest here at A Walk in the Park.

On Sept 6th they will be part of Six Flags "A Walk In The Park" to raise money to cure kids cancer! If you donate ANY amount of $$$, leave a comment and she will put you in a drawing to win a hardback copy of her favorite Christian fiction book!

If you are interested in joining them for "A Walk In The Park", or for more information about this event, Cure Kids Cancer and Six Flags Friends, please visit their website. The walk is on Sept 6th so stay tuned to learn how much they raise as a family and of course there will be pictures of them at the walk!

Back to school: When your child is bullyed

With the school season already here, there are so many things to think about besids homework. When our little ones are at school, we think about their safety getting TO school, but we do not really think about bullying. Bullying is when one child picks on another child repeatedly. Bullying can be physical, verbal, or social. It can happen at school, on the playground, on the school bus, in the neighborhood, or over the Internet.

When Your Child Is Bullied

• Help your child learn how to respond by teaching your child how to:

1. Look the bully in the eye.
2. Stand tall and stay calm in a difficult situation.
3. Walk away.

• Teach your child how to say in a firm voice.

1. "I don't like what you are doing."
2. "Please do NOT talk to me like that."
3. "Why would you say that?"

• Teach your child when and how to ask for help.
• Encourage your child to make friends with other children.
• Support activities that interest your child.
• Alert school officials to the problems and work with them on solutions.
• Make sure an adult who knows about the bullying can watch out for your child's safety and well-being when you cannot be there.
  

When Your Child Is the Bully

• Be sure your child knows that bullying is never OK.
• Set firm and consistent limits on your child's aggressive behavior.
• Be a positive role mode. Show children they can get what they want without teasing, threatening or hurting someone.
• Use effective, non-physical discipline, such as loss of privileges.
  Develop practical solutions with the school principal, teachers, counselors, and parents of the children your child has bullied.

When Your Child Is a Bystander

• Tell your child not to cheer on or even quietly watch bullying.
• Encourage your child to tell a trusted adult about the bullying.
• Help your child support other children who may be bullied.
• Encourage your child to include these children in activities.
• Encourage your child to join with others in telling bullies to stop.

We cannot be there at all times for our children, but we can watch out for the warning signs and keep the communication open with them. Talk to your kids. Be open with them and they will tell you how their day at school was... Good and bad.

Thursday Roundup... on Saturday

Thursday is our day to share all the great giveaways our Mommies are holding on each of our sites and also the giveaways held here on Mommies United! Each Thursday we will bring you a list of current giveaways!

If you are a blogger and are holding a giveaway on your site please let us know and we will add your link to THIS post. Please let us know when your giveaway ends as well.





AMANDA at mommymandy.com :


Flaunt It Giveaway
WIN:ROCK AND ROLL MAMA-sky blue maternity shirt.
ENDS: Aug. 31st

Oompa Toys Giveaway
WIN: An Acoustic Guitar
ENDS: Sept 5th

Clothespins Game from Briarpatch
WIN: Clothespin Game
ENDS: Sept 5th

Beddy Bye Baby game from Brairpatch Giveaway
WIN: Beddy Bye Baby Game
ENDS: Sept 5th

Awesome DVDs & Giveaway
WIN: ONE of FIVE copies of the new Bob the Builder ON SITE: Houses & Playgrounds DVD
ENDS: Sept. 5th

The Little Stamp Company Giveaway
WIN: A Stamp from Little Stamp Company
ENDS: Sept 6th

Get the Creaive Juices Flowing & Giveaway
WIN: A Doodlebugz™ Crayola Crayon Apron- in Solid Pink
ENDS: Sept 6th

Favorite New Foods Giveaway
WIN: a Yo Plait prize pack (cooler, brain quest game and coupon for a free 6 pack of yo plait kids yogurt
ENDS: Sept 7th

Aden+Anais Giveaway
WIN: a four pack of the Pink/White Muslin Swaddling Blankets
ENDS: Sept 14th

All of Amanda's giveawys can be found here.



CHRISTINE at From Dates To Diapers and Beyond :

Common Sense - A Giveaway!
WIN: a year supply of Scott Towels and Bath right here at From Dates to Diapers!
ENDS: AUg 31st

Flip for Family Fun!
WIN: a Flip Ultra Video
ENDS: Sept 3rd

You can find all of Christine's giveaways here.



KRISTIN at An Ordinary Life :

Busy Mom Product
WIN: ONE of SIX List Caddys
ENDS: Sept 7th

Doggie Gone Fabulous
WIN: a $50.00 gift card to Posh Doggie Necklace
ENDS: Sept 10th

What Happened Before Ariel Lost Her Voice?
WIN: ONE of TWO copies of the new DVD
ENDS: Sept 11th

Funky and Fresh Shoes
WIN: pair of Pixie shoes in a size 9 from Eleven to give away.
ENDS: Sept 15th

Even Your Little Ones Will Rock To This
WIN: an MP3 Player from Sweet Pea
ENDS: Sept. 17th

My Fabulous Finds-Layers Clothing
WIN: a $25.00 gift certificate to Layers Clothing
ENDS: Sept 18th

Learning For The Little Ones
Win a Easy PC Toddler's Learning System and My Home Game
ENDS: Sept 25th

What Is Blogging All About? Leave a comment telling Kristin why you blog, and what you feel blogging is about and be entered to win a Target Gift Card.



SHANDA at Parents With Style :

MatchMaster, an Interactive Game (contest)
WIN: ONE of TWO Matchmaster Games
ENDS: Sept. 13th

Ethel Gloves (CONTEST)
WIN: ONE of TWO pairs of Ethel Gloved
ENDS: Sept 20th



Mommies United:

View all of our giveaways:
All giveaways below end Sept 5th
Giveaway #1 FOUR Gift Baskets
Giveaway #2 TEN Winners
Giveaway #3 THREE Winners
Giveaway #4 TWENTY Winners
Giveaway #5 SIX Winners
Giveaway #6 EIGHT Winners
Giveaway #7 FOUR Winners
Giveaway #8 EIGHT Winners
Giveaway #9 FIVE Winners
Giveaway #10 EIGHTEEN Winners
You have until September 15th to enter the following giveaways:
Giveaway #11 TWO Winners


Tanya at Mommy Goggles :

Table Topper: Disposable Placements ~ Contest!
WIN: One (1) winner will receive one (1) package of Table Toppers (Elmo design)
ENDS: Sept 1st

2008 Hips & Curves ~ Contest!
WIN: a shirt, she is giving away FOUR shirts! The sizes are (1X, 2X, 3X & 4X)
ENDS: Sept 4th

Dole Fruit Cups ~ YUMMY GIVEAWAY!
WIN: A months supply of Dole products
ENDS: Sept 6th

stellarocco designs: Organic Tee ~ CONTEST!
WIN: One (1) winner will receive one (1) Stellarocco Designed Tee of their choice
ENDS: Sept 6th

Aquasana Shower Filter
WIN: a shower filter
ENDS: Sept 6th

Sleepy Wrap ~ GIVEAWAY!
WIN: an orange sleepy wrap
ENDS: Sept 7th

Living the Dream!
WIN: a shirt from LTD Chix
ENDS: Sept 10th

Find all of Tanya's contests here.

Our Blogger Friend's Giveaways:
leave us a comment and we will add you here

• Bits From a Brit British Tea Party Launch part Starts Sept. 1st!
• Silly Mommy of 2 Silly Girls Yummy Yogurt and a Giveaway Ends September 8
• Organic Bath/Body products and tote bag from skinnyskinny - Ends: Friday September 5, 2008

Our Top Picks for the Tootsies

Make sure your children start off the school year in the right pair of shoes! All of us Mommies are proud to recommend our favorites. Our top picks for this school season are Umi, Eleven Shoes, and Robeez. All of these companies offer a wide range of sizes and style choices perfect for your child's school days!

It might be shocking to learn that the best shoe is no shoe at all, but it's the truth — barefoot is best. However, Umi knows that kids need a shoe that offers comfort and durability.

Not only do the Mommies love the shoes that Umi has to offer, but our kiddos love them, too!

Eleven based in Portland, Oregon, offers an innovative brand of children's shoes that deliver intelligent, timeless, and quality footwear for little travelers who make each step an adventure. Eleven is a sister company with See Kai Run, a children's shoe company based in Seattle, Washington.

Christine's two-year-old won't take his Josef Eleven shoes off... he would wear them to bed if Mommy let him!

We can't forget the little guys when talking about shoes! Robeez is known for "caring about the first steps" and has some of the cutest styles for the little tykes. Check out their new arrivals!



Win a pair of our favorite shoes! Enter to win one of the following:

• a pair of Robeez shoes

• a pair of Umi Pram shoes

To enter to win ONE of the above TWO prizes, just leave us a comment on this post.

Make sure that you have read and are following our Contest Guidelines.

For extra entries you may do the following:

• Blog about this giveaway, or the event, on your site and leave us an extra comment
• Add our main banner to your sidebar and let us know!

This giveaway will end on September 15th

To see ALL the giveaways for the Back to School Event you can find them here.

Fabulous Friday!

Happy Friday everyone! I wanted to stop in and see how everyone was doing. Looks like there are tons of fabulous giveaways going on here and lots to chat about. I have been swamped this week trying to get my 10 month old's room started. Gotta love 4 layers of wallpaper. Blech! I will be more active here at Mommies United just as soon as I get miss Kambry's room done. I have lots of giveaways myself going on over at Mommy Goggles as well! Be sure to stop and check them out on your way out of Mommies United!

I wanted to wish everyone a very happy and safe Labor Day weekend. Please be safe and enjoy your time with your precious families!

I will be back next week to post some fabulous finds, awesome tips, recipes and more. Happy Labor Day weekend everyone!

Let the schooling begin!

We have our books ready, our supplies together, and schedules all made up. We're just about ready to start school, next Tuesday, here at Keystone Christian Academy. We're all excited to start a new year, but are looking forward to the three day weekend... I've had a long week of preparations!

I would imagine getting ready for school here at our house looks very similar to how your family prepares for back to school. We had to purchase and gather new art supplies, pencils, and paper. The kiddos put together their binders and made sure they had rulers, scissors and glue.

It wasn't just the kiddos who were getting ready for school to start, though. Their teacher had lots to do, too... I had lessons to create, activities to plan, and books to read. Being a homeschooling mama is sure alot of work!

Fun and Games

Every child has to have a little creative play. Looking for some great educational games for the kids as we get ready for back to school? Let us tell you about some of our favorite games and fun creative play materials!

Mary's Soft dough is a soft, non-crumbly modeling dough that is fun to play with. It holds up well to lots of creative play and when stored in it's container will last up to a year. Available in just about every color, even glitter and glow in the dark. And it's safe for your children the ingredients include flour, water, salt, cream of tartar, soybean oil, food coloring and sodium benzoate.

These tubs have even been in children's meals at a Northwest staple, Burgerville!

The Clothespins! Game from Briarpatch is such a fun game for kids ages 5 and up. Hang onto your shorts! Clothespins! Is the fast paced,strategy game where players score points by completing clotheslines of matching patterns or items of laundry. But watch out for the birds they may fly off with your boxers!

The fun and new Xeko Mission Trading cards are pretty neat. With Xeko Mission: China, you will all have the opportunity to learn about China’s ecosystems and meet the endangered species that live in them.Mission: China is the newest edition of Xeko, the award-winning trading card game that introduces kids to threatened species and the world’s conservation “hot spots.” This mission includes animals like the beloved Giant Panda, critically-endangered Snow Leopard, and ferocious King Cobra. The Xeko Mission: China starter set comes packaged in a stunning pagoda box decorated with animals from China’s habitats and dragon illustrations that capture the mysteries of ancient Chinese culture. Piquing kids’ interest in endangered animals and environmental conservation, Xeko seeks to inspire the next generation of eco-leaders through enriching and exciting game play.

Mission: China’s MSRP is $24.99; 9-card booster packs are $3.99. Consumers can buy the games at specialty toy and game stores nationwide, and Mission: Indonesia and Mission: China will be at Barnes & Noble stores nationally in August


Braincandy is a Seattle based children’s media company whose mission is to create educationally inventive, enriching, entertaining products that help young children learn about themselves as they fully experience the world around them. Young children are amazing! They come into the world ready to be challenged and to learn. Our vision is to create products that continue to provide opportunities for them to grow through experience and active play. Throughout our content we weave positive, encouraging examples and images of young children, puppets and animation all of which motivate young children to interact and participate. The content in Braincandy begins to lay the foundation for healthy social, emotional and physical development.

Do you remember when these first came out and how all of the kids had to have one? Yes, even us Mommies loved Tamagotchi. Now our kids can too. Tamagotchi is $14.99, a Tamagotchi isn’t a big investment, so if you have kids aged eight or over, these are certainly worth considering; even better if you have two kids in the house. And they’re pretty sturdy compared to other portable electronic devices, so they can take being toted around in a backpack. The Tamagotchi accessory pack (desktop software, microphone and mouse pad) lists at $34.99.

Sid The Science Kid is a new TV program set to air in September. SID THE SCIENCE KID is a new educational animated television series using comedy to promote exploration, discovery and science readiness among preschoolers. This landmark production of 40 half-hour episodes, co-produced by The Jim Henson Company and KCET/Los Angeles for PBS KIDS®, debuts on September 1, 2008, as part of the popular PBS KIDS preschool destination, the hosted two-hour morning block and online destination.

Our kids had such a blast watching the first episode and can not wait for the show to air.

The Magnetic Weekly Calendar from 2 Fish Toys is perfect for showing your little ones how our days are organized. It's colourful, playful and personalized to your day and week. It will teach your child about the different days of the week, seasons, weather and more. Help your child participate and anticipate their daily and weekly routines and learn, all at the same time.

Bon Bon Bebe offers many amazing products from clothing, to toys even educational items.

We will choose a winner for each of the following prizes:

• ONE winner will receive a Magnetic Calender from Bon Bon Bebe
• FOUR winners will receive a prize pack from Sid The Science Kid
• FIVE winners will each receive one Tamagachi
• ONE winner will receive a "See My World" (the 1st in the series), a Bruce Brain puppet, and a music CD from Brain Candy
• ONE winner will receive a Xeko Mission Game
• ONE winner will receive a Clothespins! Game from Briarpatch
• FIVE winners will recieve a Rainbow Tub

To enter to win ONE of the above EIGHTEEN prizes, just leave us a comment on this post sharing the title of your kiddo's favorite book.

Make sure that you have read and are following our Contest Guidelines.

For extra entries you may do the following:

• Blog about this giveaway, or the event, on your site and leave us an extra comment
• Add our main banner to your sidebar and let us know!

All giveaways will end on September 5th

To see ALL the giveaways for the Back to School Event you can find them here.

Tuesday

Hope you all are enjoying our Back to School Event!

We are having a blast and thanks to our wonderful sponsors..we extended it by a week! YEAH! We appreciate all the tips, comments and emails that we have received from everyone. All of us busy Mommas have been keeping busy with our own blogs...so if you haven't stopped by in awhile here are a few sneak peeks at what we have been posting.

Check out what Christine is FLIPping over!

Kristin needs your advice....is she???

Amanda says it is official.......

Shanda's daughter held a puppet show with her new....

The Day Finally Came

Samantha is now officially a Kindergartner. Today was Samantha's very first day at school. She was so excited and ready to learn. Of course she didn't realize today was just orientation, and it was only an hour long, but none the less, she had a wonderful day.

Sam is so excited to have her Grandma as her teacher.

Here is Sam outside the school in front of the sign at LAE. Kristin & I grew up taking this exact same picture.

Sammy with her teacher.

Mommy, Daddy & Sammy

Daddy helping Sam fill out a little question "Why am I special"

Sam doing what she loves to do... pose.... also, Daddy is the one who did the face on her person. She just colored it in.

The kids sitting on the colored rug waiting for a special story from their teacher.

And of course I forgot to take pictures of Mrs. Acuna reading The Kissing Hand to the kids.

Tomorrow is a fun filled BUSY day! I'll be testing the kids tomorrow.

Scholastic

Parents Guide to Hassle Free Homework is a great book for parents. Homework is an important part of a child's education; unfortunately, these daily assignments can easily become a daily hassle for families. The experts from the Research Institute for Learning and Development are here to help.

The Scholastic Children's Dictionary is the bestselling Scholastic Children's Dictionary has been revised and updated. Some outstanding new features include:* Sixteen pages of bonus material--a grammar and punctuation guide, photos of all the U.S. presidents, a map of the continents, a map of Canada, and more!* Dozens of new and updated entries--blog, artichoke, IM, desktop, and Euro to name a few. Each new entry was written by a well-known lexicographer and reviewed by an advisory board of educators and librarians.* Several new photos and illustrations.With exciting new features, accessible definitions and helpful illustrations and photographs, the new and updated Scholastic Children's Dictionary is an essential resource that belongs in every home, school, and library.

Leap Frog Tag Reading System is an amazing touch reading system that brings to life reading like never before!With each touch of the reader to the book's pages, words talk, characters sing and stories live out loud! Each Tag book allows children to learn at their own pace, building confidence. By connecting the reader to the Leapfrog learning path, parents see what their child is learning and receive recommendations on what books their child could read next. The Tag library includes over 20 books and games featuring characters from TV, movies and classic tales.

Cash Bash: Electronic Money Game is perfect for Kindergartners. Know your coins? Cash in and win! Dual keypads and screens let kids race to beat the clock or best each other as they add coin values and learn equivalencies. Digital-quality sound with adjustable volume offers engaging play and immediate feedback. Includes 5 different games and guide. Higher levels feature even more problem-solving challenges with limitations on number of moves and more.

Scholastic Study Jams! is a web-based service that teaches your kids math and science topics through videos, karaoke, math tutorials and more. The interactive content entertains and engages kids while making math and science fun and relevant. It is also great for teachers, is a supplemental teaching tool designed to help introduce and reinforce key math and science concepts in the classroom. Targeted, relevant lessons are state standards-aligned and work with multiple learning styles

We will choose a winner for each of the following prizes:

• Parents Guide to Hassle Free Homework $14.95

• Scholastic Children's Dictionary $18.99

• Leap Frog Tag Reading System $49.95

• Cash Bash: Electronic Money Game $39.95

• One Year subscription to Scholastic Study Jams (US only)

To enter to win ONE of the above FIVE prizes, just leave us a comment on this post sharing the title of your kiddo's favorite book.

Make sure that you have read and are following our Contest Guidelines.

For extra entries you may do the following:

• Blog about this giveaway, or the event, on your site and leave us an extra comment
• Add our main banner to your sidebar and let us know!

All giveaways will end on September 5th

To see ALL the giveaways for the Back to School Event you can find them here.