Winner Announcements, Did you win? December 31, 2011

Tweet

The Winner of  the Chestal Giveaway is: 

Cub Scouts Christmas Skits and Cookie Exchange

Oh what a night....hanging with a bunch of boys as they gear up for a sugar fest of "homemade cookies" was a blast especially since I was hanging with one of my girlfriend's husbands. Frank Sr is a trip. Reminder to self: always sit with Frank! He is so much fun and has enough energy for all of us.

All the Scout Dens performed a skit or sung. Our Den is lucky enough to have two amazing leaders. One is the more authoritative figure. He keeps the boys in line in a fun, often sarcastic way while the other, is more relaxed, very sweet and easy. It is the perfect balance.

Handsome's Den decided on a skit centered around Santa losing his reindeer and when he fears they were eaten by a polar bear spotted near by, he heads out searching and hoping they are OK. He and his elfs happen upon a house in the woods, There is a ruckus inside, when he knocks the reindeer open the door and shout surprise. They weren't eaten, they were throwing Santa a surprise party....I love how the story came to life with the boys tossing out ideas and they were finally tossed together by one of the Den leaders who is a writer. He showed it to the boys on his iPad which was pretty cool. All the boys now want one.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the amazing cookies but I can tell you the homemade only theme went right out the window. There were Entenmann cookies there, plus a bunch of other store bought names.  Nothing against store brought, Entenmanns are some of my favorites but why did I spent 2 hours baking 3 dozen cookies! Ugh!

It was a really good time!

The Reindeer screamed surprise and invited Santa into the party. Handsome looks like he has no idea what he is doing on that stage. Basically he kept hiking his pants up all night. His belt was on but he didn't make it tight enough. Poor kid was also tired. When you get up at 5:30 this is bound to happen.

After the skit the boys received their respective badges! Handsome was thrilled to get one. I wasn't since I had sent over 25 different things I thought for sure he would have quite a few. Asked his Den leader who I had to pay to get my son decorated. He told me he would explain it to me later. I am still waiting. Hey, if I need to grease the palm, I will.

Heading up to get his award. He was thrilled!

After this, Santa came in with a bag full of Box Derby cars that the boys need to do for January. Umm...have no idea what that is so I will be handing it off to the Teach. I take him to these things, he can do the project!

Breakfast With Santa

While out and about with the kids two weeks ago I ran into the Mayor who sweetly mentioned to the kids at least 5 times about a Breakfast With Santa and asked if they were going. I was well aware and had done it with the kids in the past but it is never worth the cost for us. The kids eat nothing and I get sick each time I but since they had answered her Yes when she kept saying are you going, I was strong armed into it. It is a good time; rushed but still nice considering I know about 85% of the folks there. There is something to be said about living in small towns. You always run into friends.

We went in and paid our $16.00 or whatever it was. ate, did some shopping, got our photo taken and then I snapped a few while the kids were talking to the guy in the red suit. He is really nice and has been the Santa around all month so the kids keep seeing the same guy. Really nice so there is little confusion for the younger children. While my kids know this isn't Santa, they know he can tell the "BIG" guy what they want so they did. It is always fun to listen in but I did allow them their private time too. Wish I could have had them wearing a wire so I could listen to what they were talking about but everyone deserves privacy, even my kids.

Princess Recovery By Jennifer L. Hartstein PsyD

Princess Recovery
Princess Recovery: A How-to Guide to Raising Strong, Empowered Girls Who Can Create Their Own Happily Ever Afters
By Jennifer L. Hartstein, PsyD
Published by Adams Media


Description
If 70% of girls believe they're not good enough and 62% feel insecure about themselves,
100% of Parents Need This Book.

At two, she only wears dresses because she's a princess like the ones on TV. At six, she wants the trendiest, scantily clad doll because all her friends have it. At eight, she's begging for makeup because she wants to be pretty like the teen superstars. Your daughter has every opportunity to be independent and confident -- if only you could help her tune out the rest of the world! But can you really deny your little girl dresses, cartoons, and friends until she is out of danger?
Child and adolescent psychologist Dr. Jennifer L. Hartstein has good news: You don't have to! Her unique program teaches you to curb the world's influence on your daughter -- without making her live in a bubble. In this debut book, Dr. Hartstein teaches you to:

• Encourage your daughter to pursue her passion with industry and intelligence
• Establish high but realistic expectations of your daughter and her future
• Provide context for problematic influences -- from the media to her peers
• Build a mutual trust that will withstand her adolescent growing pains

With this plan, you can bring balance, confidence, and self-sufficiency into your daughter's life while giving her a modern, vibrant childhood.

The 411: As the mom of a 6 year old spitfire and a Daisy leader to 10 girls I love reading books about creating balance and confidence in young girls. I worry about the preteens in my life who seem to be going through so much already. As a young girl, (and sometimes still do) confidence was something I completely lacked. There was no one protecting, monitoring or filtering out what I saw or heard. I see it now with so many of my female friends, family and more who ask young kids if they have a boyfriend, or girlfriend in school and the kids are only 4 - 12 years old. So many think it is cute  when young children have a crush or wear "sexy" clothes. Personally I find it repulsive. When Goddess was a toddler and anyone said she was pretty, I would follow with she is smart too! Little girls grow up hearing things like "pretty, sexy, thin, etc" and these words sit with them and if they are not these things or if they are, they feel THIS is what matters. Dr. Hartstein's method doesn't have to be followed to a T but it is a great place to start.

Raising a smart, strong, empowered girl starts with what she is learning at home. Check yourself and make sure you are sending the most positive message. Evaluate your own morals. Girls grow up way to fast.

I love the age appropriate break down in each section too. From ages 2-3, 4-5, 6-8 you can help your daughters create a strong sense of self which will enable them to make the right decisions that will help them the rest of their lives.

My hope for Goddess is that she keeps your spirit. She is funny and doesn't conform. She knows what it means to have a good heart, to help people, and she is confident in her mastered abilities. However, as a people pleaser she is often hurt by words like, "I don't like you," "You are not my friend," "You are stupid", the annoying things other kids say when they don't have others telling them how to be a nice person. I simply ask her, "Are you stupid?" or "do they talk to you?" When she says No or yes respectively I remind her that words only hurt us if we let them. If you know you are NOT those things or Don't do those things, ignore them.

I have a long way to go to make sure that Goddess comes out empowered on the other side. I can only pray that I am doing right by her. Hopefully by spending time with her and allowing her to be herself, while filtering out the things she doesn't need to know or see, plus the help of Princess Recovery she will be a strong, wonderful woman who doesn't NEED to feel validated by others. I can only pray.

My daughter is my princess but I hope she grows up knowing she can still wear a tiara if she wants under her firefighter uniform if that is what she chooses to be.

Let your girls be who they are going to be, but lead the way with good healthy morals that teach her compassion, responsibility, appreciation of inner beauty over outer beauty!

Author Bio
Jennifer L. Hartstein, PsyD, author of Princess Recovery: A How-To Guide to Raising Strong, Empowered Girls Who Can Create Their Own Happily Ever Afters, a child and adolescent psychologist, is a regular correspondent for The Early Show. She has also appeared on Fox News, The Today Show, and Headline News. Dr. Hartstein uses a variety of treatment approaches that promote strong self-awareness, distress tolerance, and acceptance. She lives in New York City.
For more information please visit http://www.drjen.com/
Find the author on Facebook and Twitter 

Purchase Princess Recovery:

The Daisys Do Some Day Trips

Well in this case they do night trips...we meet at 6:30 p.m. Me and my fearless co-leader took our Daisy's to the Police Station and Fire House earlier this month. Our Daisy's are a fun troop of girls including my own but I love all of these girls especially the ones I have known for the past three years who were in Goddess' preschool class.

They are so sweet and funny and as much as I didn't want to take on one more thing, being with my 10 girls is a fun part of my week.

We are trying to condense two years into one as these girls are on a mission to be Brownies next year. The leader last year fizzled out and didn't really do anything to keep the group progressing. We are confident that our girls will move forward with all the accomplishments they need.

Two days of trips was hard to fit into this already busy month but so worth it. Our Police and Fire Department are an amazing group. We see them often as they come to the school for many things and host the town on Fire Prevention. They also star in a lot of our parades and such so we know a lot of them by name which makes it all the more personal as we headed in with our group.

Goddess and the other girls were excited and asked A LOT of questions. Thankfully these guys are patient because I would have lost it half way through if I were the one speaking to the group.

The girls loved being fingerprinted. I took a photo of all the girls getting their fingers done. Goddess was last and at this point my girls were moving into the next room so I never got a shot of her facing the camera. 

Their favorite part was being put in the prison cell. The moms and I were creeped out by the cell but the girls loved being in there. Can you see how happy they all are? A little too happy if you ask me.

Here is my Goddess in a bullet proof vest. They are lighter than you would think.

We are going to make copies of the pictures for our Police Department and have the girls sign a card for the guys time. They really are great guys.

Goddess looks bored in the middle but trust me she was probably as worried as I was about someone else holding my Canon 50D! God help them.

The next day we headed to the fire house to meet another group of guys.  Our girls again were relentless with their questions. The guys went over the parts of each truck and all the components on them. It was quite detailed and way too much information but the girls were not bored one bit as the guys just kept answering.

They girls each got to sit in the driver seat for a photo op. Here is my boo-boo...

After that we took a shot of them in the back of the truck. My hope is to present each girl with her own photo album at the end of the year as a way to remember her year as a Daisy. Hopefully it doesn't cost me too much. It's like a where's Waldo shot. Can you find Goddess?

Next the guys did what they do every time they go to the school. They put on a uniform as the kids watch. Statistics show that many children are afraid of the firefighters coming through the smoky house with the strange breathing sound and hide. Only to parish in a fire hiding from the person who could have saved them. The girls had a lot of questions about the suit.

After he was suited up, the firefighters explained about the special alarm that tells other firefighters where one of their own is if God forbid they get injured or collapses in a fire. If the firefighter doesn't move an alarm will go off. To show how this works, Firefighter John threw himself on the ground and didn't move. The alarm does get very loud, we all held our ears.

After that, we asked him to pose with our girls. Mine was rather interested in the firefighter next to her, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

When it was over, a firefighter opened the door (one of the dads of a Daisy) and let the girls pose by the truck. Can you tell they were freezing? It wa-assss brrrr cold!

All in all, our girls and our parents had a great time! Loved every minute.

It's The Little Things...

Having kids is one of the best parts of my life. That, my husband, good friends, a balanced outlook and the air I breathe.

This year while Teach and Goddess were putting up the holiday decorations outside they found a huge hole from mice in our blow up decorations. Ugh...just what we need, another cost for the season. I my head, I thought...OK..well this year, no blow ups. We don't need the additional expense.

Nope, Teach is a good dad and when he promises, he usually comes through....

He headed out and picked up an animated snow globe, the kind with snow that moves around inside.

He started putting it up as I headed to the bus stop to pick up the kids. We walked back and they noticed our neighbors set up...ooohhhhing and ahhhing. I couldn't wait for them to notice ours so I said, "I see something else that is pretty cool or something like that."

They came running up to the house, shouting, "that is so cool!" Loved it.


After dark we headed outside as a family to see how it looked. Kids are easy, we don't have a lot of lights and stuff, but they LOVE it and that is all we care about.

I love this picture of Goddess with the elf hat and her missing bottom teeth...oh yeah...my baby lost two teeth but I have been too busy to write about it. Makes me crazy.

Here she is pointing at the house telling Handsome to look at it...because he was busy running around. Crazy that in December we were outside without coats. In fact, Handsome has his PJs on because that is how he rolls. He comes home and changes right away where Goddess is in her clothes until the very end.

Angry Birds Unplugged

Yes, we are all addicted to Angry Birds but my kids play enough electronic games. I love the Angry Birds: Knock On Wood Game because my kids set it up and play together. Solitary play is awesome and keeps them quiet but playing with someone and hearing them giggle makes it so much better...at only $16.12 this is a fun family night game. Set the blocks and pigs up like the photo on the card, aim and shoot.

Ivory A Household Name Revamped

Last month I told you about Melissa McCarthy who has signed on as Ivory's new spokesperson.  Today I am going to tell you about the NEW, revamped Ivory!

I have been using Ivory off and on since I was a small child. It was the only soap my parents ever had and I used it but it often made my skin too dry and itchy. Not this ivory. I received the new stuff and I have used it for 4 days. We LOVE it. They smell amazing. Nice, clean and pure.

Ivory sent us, (3) 12oz body washes, in three different scents:  original, aloe and lavender.  Goddess and I are obsessed with them we can't stop smelling them. We keep opening them and smelling them. They are all amazing but our favorite is the lavender I think...wait...no the aloe...umm...they are both pretty incredible. They smell amazing, nice, clean and pure.  We will also received a 3 pack of Ivory soap bars and I wonder if my skin has changed because I have had no problems washing even my face with it.

If you have a chance, check out the Ivory Soap Dish Facebook page and participate in the fun, interactive polls and questions. We did. Join us.

You can buy practically anywhere. Even Amazon in a 6 pack.

Believe

Christmas Decorations are one of my favorite things to take photos of next to my children.

Color Carnival Sunday #11

WOW...is it really Tuesday? I haven't turned on the computer since Thursday night, giving myself a loooong, well deserved break.

This week, my submission is from a place called The Ice Caverns in New Jersey. I love it here.

Can't wait to see what you post.

Post your colorful pictures and link up to this cheery meme.

Guest Post by Author Jennifer Hartstein

You Got My Child That?
By Jennifer L. Hartstein, PsyD,
Author of Princess Recovery: A How-To Guide to Raising Strong, Empowered Girls Who Can Create Their Own Happily Ever Afters

The holidays are filled with so many wonderful things: family, friends, parties, religious endeavors, and, of course, gifts. All of these things can bring us joy (along with the requisite stress), but it is the gifts that often create the greatest source of concern, especially if you have to worry about what people around you are going to be purchasing for your daughter. Very often, people buy things that are meaningful to them, and not as meaningful to the receiver. Additionally, not everyone will respect your desire to promote your daughter's empowerment.

Situations involving gifts do pose a unique challenge. People in your life may not have the level of awareness you do, nor will they share your concerns or have the same values about what will promote a positive sense of self and confidence in your daughter. In fact, many people you know may think you are making much ado about nothing. It is inevitable that your awareness will lead to a situation when what you want is not in line with what other people want. For example, your sister may think that the Monster High dolls are totally appropriate, cute and fun and the perfect gift for your 6-year-old. You, on the other hand, do not want this to be the message your daughter receives. How do you handle a situation such as this?

First and foremost, as her parent, you get to decide. You may accept the toy, and not allow her to use it. It may mean returning the gift. It also may mean talking with the gift-giver about why this is not an appropriate gift for your daughter. These conversations are not going to be fun, and, it is so important that you lead by example and advocate for your daughter's needs.

In Princess Recovery, four important points are highlighted to help you manage these instances when they arrive (and, be prepared, because they will!).

Educate Gently: It is important to speak up and to be sure you are heard by the important people in your life. It is essential to do this in a way that you are hear and respected. Speak your mind clearly, and with appreciation. Always say thank you, followed by how you feel. For example, you could say, "Thank you so much for the gift. I know this is the hot toy right now. Although we appreciate the gesture, we prefer not to have this type of to in our house. I'd be happy to provide you with other options, or, you can keep the toy for your daughter, if you'd like!"

This might not be easy to say, especially if your initial reaction is more emotional. Take a breath, and a minute, and be open, honest and direct about what you think.

Be Specific: You are providing education to those around you, so it is important to be sure they really understand where you are coming from (without shoving it down their throats). You know what you mean when you say you would prefer "gender neutral" toys, but your mother-in-law might not. Explain what you mean, and why you are making this request. Discuss why this is important to you and the development of your daughter's healthy self-esteem. Providing this kind of guidance will increase understanding, decrease conflict and confusion and promote positive interactions. And, you never know, you might encourage someone in your life to see things a different way!

Consider the Relationship: Focus on the relationship with the gift-giver over the gift. You may not agree with the gift, but know that taking a strong stance against it will potentially create damage with the person giving it to your daughter. Keep that in mind when you consider making a fuss. It may be easier to graciously accept the gift, and then have it "magically" disappear. This is also an opportunity to talk with your daughter about why the gift may be giving the wrong message or offer alternative toys that you do approve of. Doing either of these things will dull down the message and make the experience less damaging.

Advocate For Your Daughter: Gifts are a time for you to advocate for your daughter and teach her to advocate for herself. Have open dialogues about why a gift may be inappropriate, talking with her in an age-appropriate way. Be prepared for questions, and possibly, some tantruming. Be mindful not to make promises you will not be able to keep.

You can say something like: "Your dad and I don't think this toy will teach you positive things. Let's go find some other options that might." The key here is to identify the values you want to instill in your daughter, and use these gift receiving opportunities to highlight them.

The holidays bring joy and happiness, and can also a time of great stress for many different reasons. Gift-giving, and receiving, should not be an added source of stress. If you are prepared, and ready for whatever might come your daughter's way, you can keep the gifts you don't approve of out of your home . . . and enjoy all of the fun, while maintaining the positive relationships, that you want to be part of the holiday.

© 2011 Jennifer L. Hartstein, PsyD, author of Princess Recovery: A How-To Guide to Raising Strong, Empowered Girls Who Can Create Their Own Happily Ever Afters

Author Bio
Jennifer L. Hartstein, PsyD, author of Princess Recovery: A How-To Guide to Raising Strong, Empowered Girls Who Can Create Their Own Happily Ever Afters, a child and adolescent psychologist, is a regular correspondent for The Early Show. She has also appeared on Fox News, The Today Show, and Headline News. Dr. Hartstein uses a variety of treatment approaches that promote strong self-awareness, distress tolerance, and acceptance. She lives in New York City.

For more information please visit http://www.drjen.com/, and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter

My Absolute Favorite Christmas Song by One of My Favorites

National Geographic Challenge for Wii and Xbox 360

UTV Ignition Games's National Geographic Challenge! is available in stores for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and for the Wii™ system from Nintendo.  The title will also be available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system in January. Developed by Gusto Games, National Geographic Challenge! features fantastic high quality images and interactive videos from the legendary National Geographic stock film vault, delivering a fun and family-friendly quiz game to players of all ages. Choosing from multiple modes including Puzzle Challenge, Multiplayer Quiz, and Explorer, players will experience environments ranging from the sub-zero Antarctic to the scorching Sahara.

National Geographic Challenge! includes both single and multiplayer game modes, and up to four players can compete in the quest to claim territories on the in-game globe by answering questions correctly while using various tactics to foil their opponents.  Players exploring the world on Xbox 360 and the PlayStation®3 system will appreciate approximately 60 minutes of HD video straight from National Geographic’s award-winning video crews. Additionally, Xbox 360 users will enjoy avatar support and Wii™ users will enjoy Mii™ character functionality. Wii™ and PlayStation®3 system users will be able to take advantage of the game’s full motion controller support with Wii Remote™ and PlayStation®Move motion controller!

National Geographic Challenge! is now available for $29.99 (Xbox 360) and $19.99 (Wii system from Nintendo). Developed by Gusto Games, the game is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

For more information about the game visit: www.ngchallenge.net

The 411: Personally I love this game. My 8 year old found it a little challenging but I kept saying, "hence the title!" He of course had no idea what I was talking about. But...well, I am often sarcastic. It is how I get through the day.

This is a game that grows with the family and is great for my competitive relatives. My nieces and sister-in-law love to come over and play games where we challenge each other. It isn't a good night until one of us is deemed the "smartest". This is usually in good fun and we often help each other.

We love that you can play with up to four people and that there are 4,000 in game questions. This is a game that you can continue playing forever and almost never get the same question. We love that!  The questions are in 3 different types, (standard, anagrams and fast focus). I am terrible at fast focus. My brain doesn't work that way however I did well on my last session.

So worth the price which happens to be on the reasonable side of gaming and is different depending on the platform you purchase.

Some of My Favorite Christmas Movies

Here they are in no particular order.

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol - This was always a favorite. I love the songs and grew up with Magoo. When Magoo sings A Hand For A Hand with his former self, I still cry. The ghosts are not scary at all and it's a musical. Magoo is a mild mannered Scrooge. Classic movie and perfect for your movie library.

Home Alone (1&2) - We LOVE Home Alone. It never gets old. We must have watched this movie 100 times last December and this year we are just as close but we asked our son to watch it in his room until yesterday when we watched 1 & 2 as a family.  Not typically thought of as a Christmas movie but it is.

You can get the complete collection from Amazon for only $14.99. That is four complete movies 1-4. Not a bad price and a collection that your kids will surely love.

The Santa Clause: 3 Movie Collection starring Tim Allen. This is really an awesome collection for kids of all ages. Ever wonder how Santa become Santa? You will now know. All secrets will be revealed. How does Santa get into the homes without chimneys? How does he carry all those toys? How does he know what everyone wants? Who makes all the toys? You can get the complete set (all 3 movies) from Amazon for only $24.99. Not a bad price!

Elf (Infinifilm Edition)starring Will Farrel. One of Will Farrel's best. We love this movie. As a baby, Buddy crawls into Santa's sack and ends up back at the North Pole. Instead of bringing him back home, the elves raise him as their own. When he finds out he isn't an elf, he decides to head out to find his father in the big city.  Very cute and funny. We love his naivety and innocent charm. Adorable.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Special Edition) starring Chevy Chase. This movie will never get old. Funny each time we watch it. So many timeless moments. If you haven't watched in a while. Watch again.

The Polar Express (Widescreen Edition) - One of the best for me as far as animation goes. LOVE IT. Every time I watch I remember a friend who went to the movie when it was in the theater and came back telling me how disappointed she was. She thought it was awful. Not surprised to say we are no longer friends. One of the best movies and I can't imagine what she didn't like about it. I LOVE all of it as does my family including my husband. Wonderful movie about the power of believing!

What are your favorites?

Holiday Theme Posts By Other Bloggers I Love

Brandy from Gluesticks made these adorable Candy Cane soaps which I am in love with. She writes that they aren't perfect but I beg to differ. Love them!

Jody from Mommy Moment wrote about her daughter's violin recital for the elderly. I love the pictures. So cute.  Love that those kids parents are showing them community. I am sure the seniors loved the attention.


I love this idea of a book tree for the holidays. With the amount of books in this house, I would be pressed to pick my favorites and create a tree, but nothing will be as lovely as the one I found on The Decorologist blog. Look how cute this is!

Big hugs out to Ashley from Lil Blue Boo who is facing chemo with a "kick it in the face" attitude. Love reading her posts and seeing her smiling face. Her beauty and grace in documenting her days are inspiring.  She is amazing. Her wonderful holiday photos with her family are beautiful. I love the one of her and her husband kissing her sweet daughter.  Stop over and check her out if you have a chance.

An Ordinary Mom has a wonderful list of Christmas activities to make the holiday extra special. 

I love reading Colleen's blog Shibley Smiles every day. She is a mom like me and documents her and her children's life with tons of pictures, like me. Love it! My favorite posts have been over the last few days where her posts are a compilation of thoughts and photos from Christmas pasts. Watching her children grow up right before my eyes makes me smile. I imagine this is how my readers feel when they see photos of Handsome and Goddess. The blog world is a big world but we all kind of know of each other or have happened upon each others blog at one point. Take a journey with Colleen if you have a chance and visit her blog. If you have a chance, check out her beautiful decorations too.

Need Christmas Decoration eye candy? Head over to Savvy Seasons by Liz and check out and drool over her lovely home. Wow! I am completely jealous.

Because God Forbid She Lets Him Take A Photo Alone

Handsome asked for his photo with the Grinch to be taken. His teacher sent him home with the book and the stuffed doll. He needed to write about what he did with the Grinch in a universal journal that the class shares. He was so excited to read what his friends did with the Grinch and since the Grinch goes back to school to move onto the next child he really wanted some photos.

Goddess just couldn't control herself. I had to crop her out of every photo! Except these.

She is completely nuts