Unique End-of-Year Teachers’ Gift Ideas

The school year is winding down and the last day of school is quickly approaching. I’m not ready! But, there is one big, last homework assignment for Moms and that’s the end-of-year teachers’ gifts. I try to get my kids’ teachers something either really unique or something they could really use, but sometimes it’s hard to come up with ideas.

I live in a neighborhood with a lot of teachers so I asked them what teacher’s gifts they appreciated most. You can read their answers in my post 10 Perfect Teacher’s Gift Ideas.

If you want want to do a little something extra and make a gift with your child for his or her teacher, check out these posts on Fun Homemade Teacher’s Gift Ideas and Easy and Inexpensive DIY Teacher’s Gift Ideas.

Here are two more unique end-of-year Teacher’s Gift ideas that I saw on Pinterest this week. You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to pull these off.


I like this Summer Relaxation Beach Tote gift idea from SkiptoMyLou.org. Mostly because I want to make one for me.

The Homespun with Love blog created a cute bucket full of school supplies for teacher to use next year. Click through to see how easy it was to make.

Do you give gifts to your child’s teacher at the end of the year? Some people do and some don’t. Giving gifts to teachers is even illegal in one state. Read my article Teacher’s Gifts: To Give or Not to Give over at Patch.com to learn where. There are some nice comments from teachers at the end of the article.

What do you normally get your kids’ teachers at the end of the school year? Please share your ideas. Teachers, feel free to weigh in on what you appreciate the most.

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Tags: Back to School Tips · Cool Finds

A Chance to Win Free Business Cards


As a small business owner, I know that every penny counts. So I’m thrilled to be able to offer one lucky reader a chance to win 250 free business cards from Uprinting.com. Whether you want to promote your business, your blog or just produce some fun Mommy calling cards, this giveaway is a great opportunity to look professional and save some money.

Uprinting is an online printing company that offers a wide range of marketing products to help you promote your business or blog. What makes the company unique is their large format printing options, free file review service which requires no upfront payment to review proofs, and their commitment to eco-friendly printing processes and recycled paper options. Uprinting serves their customers with a very user-friendly web site to make ordering super easy for busy business owners. But what caught my eye was the option to choose die-cut shapes for your business cards such as rounded corners, leaf, half circle, circle or oval, to present your business in a distinctive way.

Take advantage and be distinctive! UPrinting is offering 250 business cards to one lucky Chocolate Cake Moments reader. Simply fill out the easy Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win! Good luck.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Prize Information:

  • 250 Die-cut Business Cards for one (1) winner
  • Shape options: 2×3.5″ Rounded Corners, 2×2″ Rounded Corners, 1.75×3.5″ Rounded Corners, 2×3.5″ Leaf, 2×3.5 Rounded one corner, 2×3.5″ Half-Circle Side, 2×3.5″ Oval, or 2.5″ Circle
  • 14pt Cardstock Gloss / Matte / High Gloss (UV), or 13pt Cardstock Uncoated
  • 6 Business days print turnaround time
  • Free US shipping only



Restrictions:

    1. This giveaway is open to US residents only, 18 years old and above.
    2. No prize substitutions allowed.
    3. Winners are allowed to win once over a six-month period.
    4. Only email addresses used for the giveaway will be eligible to claim the prize.


Disclaimer:
“You should assume that I will receive free print products in exchange for the post. Any and all reviews posted are based solely on my own experience and may be atypical. Please practice due diligence in making any related purchase decisions. Interested to hold a giveaway like this? Please sign up here.”

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Tags: Cool Finds

Today is the Day the Squirrels Get their Due

Well, this just takes all. I woke up this morning to read that today, January 21st is National Squirrel Appreciation Day. Who knew?!? Who knew it was their day, let alone that they feel under-appreciated. Knowing that any rodent can have its own day now, I can’t wait for Elephant Shrew Day. What is an elephant shrew, you ask? It’s my daughter’s favoritest new animal and she feels that they deserve a day too.

But I digress. Back to the squirrels. I want to know what prompted someone to call for a National Squirrel Appreciation Day. Were they not getting enough attention? They are in every commercial out there now. I think they even have Hollywood agents. You don’t see moles getting their own commercials. What’s wrong with moles?

Sure, squirrels are cute. Sure, they are entertaining when they are chasing each other around the yard. But, they also eat my Halloween pumpkins and they ate all of the candy out of our Easter eggs one year. The yard looked like a pastel-colored yard sale once they got through cracking the plastic eggs. The kids were crushed. What’s up with that, squirrels?

However, if you love squirrels, today is the day to show them some appreciation. Here are some tips and a fun squirrel video from the National Wildlife Federation on 7 Ways to Celebrate National Squirrel Day.

Enjoy your day, Squirrels!

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Tags: Cool Finds

Moms, Don’t Lose It. Label It!


I have to admit, I’m not a labeler. Every year around Back-to-School time I would read about how Moms should label their kids’ preschool and school items but I never got around to it. Maybe I would write their initials on a tag with a Sharpie pen, but that really wasn’t going to do much to get an item back if it was lost.

So, when Name Bubbles contacted me to try their back-to-school name labels, I jumped at the chance to see what I was missing or doing wrong all these years. If you have ever had to rummage through the school’s lost and found box, you’ll understand why I was very interested in changing my family’s organizational habits. Now that I’ve tried them, I have to admit I’m hooked!

Name Bubbles Labels come in a variety of sizes and styles that are – get this – waterproof, dishwasher, laundry, and microwave safe. That’s perfect for labeling all of the items your kids use when they leave the house. Cool! The labels are made of a vinyl material with a non-toxic, eco-solvent ink to provide fun color and durability. There are custom name label packs for School, Childcare, Sports, and Camp, depending on what you need. They even have labels to put in your kids shoes! If you have every been to a birthday party with 20 kids’ shoes lying by the front door and several of them the same style, you’ll be so thankful that you can find your kids shoes before their next birthday party rolls around.

In addition, once you are hooked on labeling they have packs for other aspects of your life like Elder Care, College, and Luggage. They even have a Party Pack where you can order personalized labels to give as party favors at your kids’ birthday party. The party guests go home with a set of labels personalized with their name. Cool! I’m always on the look out for unique kids’ birthday party favors and this is one of the most useful I’ve seen yet.

Since my son camps a lot with Boy Scouts, I’m digging the Camp Label pack since he had a fiasco last camp out with someone accidentally taking his new sleeping bag. We had written his name on the bag but it wasn’t prominent enough, I guess. These labels will help going forward. The large square bubble labels in the Camp Pack are perfect for big ticket items like a camera, iPod, or cell phone that you really want to come home from camping trips.

At summer camp, my kids lost their towel and swimsuit practically every day. I wish I had these labels two summers ago! A waterproof label on their swim gear would have made searching through the lost and found box a lot easier.






I remember when my kids were in day care and we were just labeling the bottles with masking tape and a pen. I wish I had the labels from Name Bubble’s Childcare Pack way back when. It would have made life easier, let along made the bottle look a little nicer too.

Applying the Name Bubble Labels is pretty easy, too. Stick the labels on and wait 24 hours before getting them wet. The company claims the adhesive will stay put in extreme conditions and so far I’ve seen that to be true. The packages are affordable – $20 to $43 dollars depending on which pack you are ordering. Now that I am hooked, I definitely see how the cost is small compared to how easy they are to apply and how nice the label looks.

Another great product that Name Bubbles offers is the Allergy, Medical or Special Needs Alert stickers that you can apply to your child’s lunch boxes, bottles, food containers, diaper bag, and even favorite toys. You can customize the labels to list your emergency contact information or indicate that your child is Autistic and doesn’t like to be touched.

Disclaimer: Name Bubbles did send me a free press kit with sample labels to review. All opinions expressed are mine, though. I’m stubborn that way.

What are some of your tips for labeling your kids’ school, camp and day care gear?

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Tags: Back to School Tips · Cool Finds

Take the Family to Cirque Shanghai for some Extreme Fun!

My whole family was lucky enough to be invited to the press event and get free tickets for “Cirque Shanghai Extreme” at the Navy Pier Skyline Stage in Chicago last week. The show was “extremely” awesome. I knew we would enjoy the show but I was surprised at how much everyone in the family really enjoyed it. Even my sometimes jaded 11-year-old son thought it was totally cool. Read below for details to win 4 Free Tickets to Cirque Shanghai Extreme from OntheGoChicago.com or get a discount code for tickets.

The show is thrilling. From the opening act when the performers “zip line” onto the stage followed by Chinese dragon dancers coming down the aisles, your kids will be mesmerized by the sounds, colors, and cool feats of the performers. The acts feature juggling, acrobatics, dance, contortionists, and MOTORCYCLES.

My daughter’s favorite act was the Barrel Contortion Act. Three girl performers are dressed like candy and they squirm and contort their way into and out of these three tiny barrels with ease.

My son on the other hand was all about the Motorcycle cage at the end of the show. It’s AMAZING how they can get 4 motorcycles racing around the inside of a metal cage on stage.

The show is only 75 minutes long so don’t be afraid to take toddlers to the show. The little ones we saw in the audience didn’t move or fidget once through the show. You can take in the rest of Navy Pier’s attractions before or after the show, depending on your kids’ bedtime.

A note of caution – the Skyline Stage at Navy Pier is an open air theater. Even though it is hot out, if the wind picks up off the lake, your kids might get cold. My daughter was freezing by the end of the show and we didn’t have a jacket with us.

If you have a wide age range of kids in your family or guests in from out of town, this is the show for you. Toddlers, teens, and adults alike will be amazed.

My friend Cindy over at OntheGoChicago.com has 4 free tickets to Cirque Shanghai Extreme but you need to enter today!

Details:

    Ticket Info: Tickets for kids ages 3 – 12 years old are only $15 and you can Cirque Shanghai has offered our readers a special discount offer! Use code KIDS for $25 Adult Gold Circle tickets for Wed-Fri performances for July and August. Tickets now on sale through ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000

    Place: Navy Pier Open-Air Skyline Stage, 600 E. Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL

    Parking: Parking at Navy Pier is $20.

    Dates: Now through September 5th, 2011

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Tags: Cool Finds · Family Fun Ideas

So Many Ways to Say Thank You!

Thank you ideas

Tipjunkie.com recently ran a post with 14 Unique Ways to Say Thank You. At the end of the school year, there are quite a few people that need to be thanked by our family – bus driver, school nurse, neighbors who always help watch the kids when needed, etc. So, it’s nice to find some different ways to say thank you than a box of candy or just a card. Plus, by making something special, you’re really saying “Your help meant so much to me that I wanted to Thank You with something a little extra.”

I hope these ideas help inspire you. I’d love to get one of these from someone.

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Tags: Cool Finds · Mom's Corner · Parenting Tips

Girls, Get Your Sports On!

Dancer Go Go Sports Doll

Not every girl wants to be a princess. Thank goodness! The world would be pretty boring with that many princesses. So we love when we find a toy that appeals to girls with other interests. Check out these sports-themed dolls that help girls celebrate their athletic interests, encourage them to lead a healthy lifestyle, as well as make great companions to take to practice. We just started selling these Go! Go! Sports Girls Dolls at ChocolateCakeClub.com because we think the Dolls are so fun and we really like the Mompreneur behind the company, Jodi Norgaard.

Jodi Norgard

The Go! Go! Sports Dolls are designed to support and encourage girls to play sports and lead an active lifestyle. The idea is to teach girls it is cool to be strong and active—not just another pretty face. (As a woman in her 40′s who still can’t put on make-up properly, I love that message!) The dolls’ bodies are not overly mature so there is no confusing sexuality associated with the doll – you know, grow up fast and dress like a 20-year-old. The bodies are soft so they are easy to hug!

Soccer Doll
(more…)

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Tags: Cool Finds

Save 30% at all Gap Stores and Support JDRF

Now that the weather is getting warmer – need new clothes? Don’t miss this great deal to stock up on a new wardrobe and help find a cure for Juvenile Diabetes – here’s a coupon to save 30% on your entire purchase this weekend at all Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic stores. Best part – 5% goes to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). My daughter thanks you for helping find a cure and you’ll love your new Spring clothes.

Here’s the link to grab the coupon – http://gap.p.delivery.net/m/p/gap/gcan/gpjump.asp?p=bp/jdrf.html

Happy Shopping!

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Tags: Cool Finds · Parenting Tips

Treehouse Cardboard Art Kit Featured at NeatoStuff.com

Treehouse Cardboard Art Kit

Our Treehouse Cardboard Art Kit was featured over at NeatoStuff.com this week. Thanks for the mention! Head on over to NeatoStuff.com to see the other picks for cool stuff for kids and babies.

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Tags: Cool Finds · Family Fun Ideas

Cee Lo Green & the Muppets Channel Elton John at the Grammys

Did anyone watch the Grammy’s last night? I usually don’t, but last night I had it on while I was folding laundry and I caught Cee Lo Green performing his song with the Muppets. While I loved the theatricality of the whole performance, (I’m a sucker for silliness, creativity, and muppets) it made me nostalgic for Elton John performing Crocodile Rock on the Muppet Show, my favorite kids show of all time.

Don’t these seem similar?

cee lo green grammys

elton john crocodile rock

Since you can’t let the kids watch the Cee Lo Green clip with the swearing, go grab a copy of the Muppet Show Season 2 on DVD and show your kids the Elton John version. (As much as I liked Cee Lo’s muppet drummer, Animal still holds my heart.)

Animaleatdrums

Who is your favorite Muppet?

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Tags: Cool Finds

The Ultimate Valentine’s Day Gift for Your Child

mimicking monkey product shot

This Valentine’s Day why not tell your child you love them … over and over again? I love this adorable Valentine’s Day gift, the Mimicking Monkey Sleep Soother by Cloud b which helps your child fall asleep by playing soft music. But to put the “Ultimate” in Ultimate Kids Valentine’s Day Gift, you can record a voice message as well. So go ahead and sing or whisper “I Love You” and the monkey will repeat as many times as your child likes. Your child or grandchild will love listening to Mom’s, Dad’s, Grandma’s or Grandpa’s voice.

sleeping with monkey

Plus, the Mimicking Monkey is so FLUFFY and cute, I want one! The minute I saw this product, we had to sell it.

This is also a perfect gift to give your child to stay connected when you have to travel for work. Record a message saying “Good Night” or “I Love You” and your child will still fall asleep to the sound of your voice. It’s also a great way to stay connected to your grandchild if you live in another city or state. Need I say more?

This weekend only to help spread the love, save 20% OFF of the Mimicking Monkey Sleep Soother at www.ChocolateCakeClub.com. No coupon needed but hurry and order before midnight, Sunday, Feb. 13th!

You May Also Like:
6 Ways to Stay Connected With Kids While You Travel for Work
Help Kids Conquer Their Fear of the Dark with Dream Cards

[Read more →]

Tags: Cool Finds · Help Kids Sleep Better · Valentine's Day Family Fun Ideas

It’s National Chocolate Cake Day!

cake

It’s National Chocolate Cake Day! Yippe! Yahoo! Hurray! I’m off to Portillos to grab a slice of Gina’s Soon To Be Famous Chocolate Cake to celebrate. See you there!

If you don’t live near a Portillos try this recipe for Molten Chocolate Cake, that we found over at the Pioneer Woman’s tasty kitchen site.

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Tags: Cool Finds · Entertaining at Home

Family Fun Idea – Go See the Harlem Globetrotters!

KIDS  and harlem globetrotters

Looking for a place to go with the family that offers clean, family entertainment that actually makes you laugh? Go see the Harlem Globetrotters!

My family was lucky enough to get free tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters when they came to Chicago a few weeks ago, courtesy of PTPA Media. (Thanks, PTPA.) My husband and I were looking forward to it since we loved the Globetrotters when we were kids. Hey, they were big stuff back then. They had their own Variety Show, they were on TV all the time, and they were on Scooby Doo, for Pete’s Sake. (That is one of my dreams – to be on an episode of Scooby Doo. That, and to be Grand Marshall of the Rose Bowl Parade.) But I digress!

To read my review of the Harlem Globetrotters and why I think you should take your family, head on over to the Parent Tested Parent Approved Blog. Spoiler Alert – I got a hug from Curly Neal! Woo Hoo!

If you buy tickets online from the Globetrotters website, USE THE CODE “PTPA” TO RECEIVE A DISCOUNT ON TICKETS!

curly neal.

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Tags: Cool Finds · Family Fun Ideas · Friday Night Fun

Coolest New Product to Soothe Babies & Toddlers to Sleep

Mimicking Monkey Sleep Soother with Child

We just got in the most adorable gift for babies and toddlers. The Mimicking Monkey Sleep Soother by Cloud b takes traditional sleep soothers to a whole new level. Not only does the soft, adorable monkey play soothing sounds to help your child sleep but you can record your voice on it! Go ahead and sing a lullabye or whisper a message to help your kids feel safe and secure so they can sleep. How cool is that!!! It’s perfect for parents traveling for work or long-distance grandparents to “talk” to the little ones while they are absent. I wish I had invented this!

Mimicking Monkey by Cloud b

As they get older, they’ll have fun “monkeying around” recording their own weird messages and sounds on the Monkey. Fun!

What message would you leave your child?

You Might Also Like …
6 Ways to Stay Connected with Your Kids While You Travel
Help Your Kids Conquer Their Fear of the Dark with Dream Cards
Help Your Kids Conquer Their Fear of the Dark – Constellation Nightlights
Help Your Kids Conquer Their Fear of the Dark with Dragons

[Read more →]

Tags: Cool Finds · Parenting Tips

How to Choose the Perfect Kids Tea Set

tea party princess

There is nothing more fun than a tea party! Dressing up, pouring “tea”, serving cookies, and inviting your favorite friends – real or imaginary – is one of childhood’s greatest pleasures. At least, I think so! Even as an adult one of my favorite things to do is have tea with my BFFs.

If you know a little girl who would love to host her own tea party, then she needs a tea set. There are so many options and sometimes it’s hard to choose the right tea set for a child.

Tea sets come in a variety of materials, sizes and shapes. Porcelain, ceramic, tin, and plastic are the most common. While the first two are breakable, they are also more “dainty” or feminine in design which appeals to a lot of little girls. They are also more like “grown-up” tea sets and little girls definitely want their pretend play to be as realistic as possible. Here are some considerations to hopefully make it easier for you to choose the perfect set.

bunny tea set

Toy vs. Heirloom
Here’s my take on this debate. I think buying a beautiful tea set that your daughter or granddaughter can keep as an heirloom to remind them of you is wonderful. However, if the child is young, don’t give it to them until they are older. Or, have Mom or Grandma keep the tea set and host special tea parties for the child when they are younger and then give them the set when they are older. It will be so much more special if they remember using it with you once they get it as their very own.

Giving a young girl a beautiful, expensive tea set that she can’t touch or play with is cruel. She either won’t be allowed to touch it, which then in their eyes they are denied something fun or they will play with it anyway and feel terrible if it does break. Make a tea set gift fun for them! It is the experience of having tea with you or their friends, that they will remember.

The Age Appropriate Myth

First, of all, how old is your tea party cutie? In general, the younger the child, the more durable the tea set should be. Younger kids may not be as dexterous and need a larger tea cup. Even though they have little fingers, it might be harder for them to grab tiny cups.

Most toys give an age appropriate guideline on the box. Keep in mind this is a guide. The manufacturer is afraid you are going to break it and accuse them of not warning you, so they err on the cautious side. You are going to have to gauge whether your daughter or granddaughter can handle a breakable tea set. My son is almost 11 years old but I cringe any time he goes near glass. After all, he is officially the sworn enemy to all snow globes. If he even looks at one, it breaks. My daughter on the other hand has had a ceramic and a porcelain tea set since she was 3 years old and hasn’t chipped or broken a cup yet. She treats her tea set like gold and is dexterous enough to handle it carefully.

So look at the age guidelines on the tea sets, which are usually set for a worst case scenario and make a judgment call on whether she can handle a more fragile set. What’s the worst case scenario? She breaks a cup and you need to buy a new one. I’d rather see my kids playing and enjoying their tea set than worrying about breaking it. If you find a tea set you love and are worried it might get broken, buy 2 sets. That way you always have a back-up and no one has to worry.

Size Does Matter

Tea sets come in different sizes. There are mini tea sets which really are more collectible items or doll-size so your dolls can pretend to have tea. Your child will not be able to drink out of these. We sell this Mini Crown Tea Set which is perfect for a doll tea party. If you are buying the tea set online, it should say the size in the product description. If not, don’t hesitate to email or call, to get a better sense of the size of the tea set.

Who’s invited to the party? Believe it or not, it’s hard to find kids’ porcelain tea sets that have 4 cups. Most only have 2. We only carry one porcelain set that has 4 cups. Our plastic and tin tea sets do include 4 cups so you might want to look at tea sets in other materials, if you need more than 2 cups.

chili's tea party

You can always buy mismatched porcelain tea cups at estate sales, flea markets, or second hand stores to add more cups to your set. I know I needed to invite ALL of my stuffed animals to the tea party or they would get upset.

Drinkability

Here’s the million dollar question. Is your child going to drink out of the tea set? When your child is younger, they have no problem pretending. They don’t need liquid in the cup to have a good time. When your child hits 5 years old or older, they might want to be a little more “grown-up” and serve the tea at their party, drinking water, ginger ale, root beer, or juice out of the tea cups. It’s as much fun to pour as it is to drink. If that is the case, you need to make sure that the tea set is food safe, FDA-approved, and water resistant. If the set is plastic, make sure it meets all BPA, phthalate, and lead safety standards. Basically, it needs to be non-toxic. While a tin tea set may be non-toxic, once you add liquid to it some tea sets start to leak or rust.

If she wants to drink out of the tea set, look for a cup size that is at least 2” in diameter. You won’t get a lot of liquid in these cups, about 2 ounces, but it’s enough. The porcelain tea sets we sell at Chocolate Cake Club, like our Daisy Tea Set, fit this bill.

Green Toys Eco-Friendly Tea Set

If you really want to put a “drink” in the cups, at least 4 ounces, then our Green Porcelain Tea Set or our Green Toys Eco-Friendly Tea Sets are a better bet.

I hope these considerations have helped you to choose the perfect kids tea set for your little girl’s first or next tea party. We’ll be adding a post on How to Host the Perfect Tea Party next week so come back for tips on how to make your kids’ tea parties even more fun and unique.

You might also like:
Mom’s Night Out – Holiday Tea

[Read more →]

Tags: Cooking with the Kids · Cool Finds · Family Party Ideas · Fun with Grandma & Grandpa

Download the ChocolateCakeClub.com’s Holiday Gift Guide

cover of holiday gift guide

Still need some inspiration for Wow! gifts for your kids, grandkids or nieces and nephews? We created a PDF version of the ChocolateCakeClub.com’s 2010 Holiday Gift Guide to make it easier for you to read at your leisure. Download it, print it and even show it to your kids to see what gets them excited.

Click here to download – Chocolate Cake Club 2010 Holiday Gift Guide

If you have any questions, please send us an email at service@chocolatecakeclub.com or give us a shout at 847-963-1805. The Chocolate Cake Club is our sister company and when you shop there, it helps support our family fun ideas and blog content here. Thank you!

Happy Shopping!

Sue Kirchner
Chief Fun Officer
www.ChocolateCakeClub.com
www.ChocolateCakeMoments.com

[Read more →]

Tags: 2010 Holiday Gift Guide · Cool Finds

Top 10 Unique Christmas Gifts for Kids You Won’t Find at Target or Walmart

Buying the most impactful Holiday gift for your kids, grandkids, or nieces and nephews can be daunting. Do they have that toy already? What is age appropriate? Don’t let the stress of gift-buying ruin the “Most Wonderful Time of the Year” for you!

We want to help make your gift buying easier, so we created our ChocolateCakeClub.com 2010 Holiday Gift Guide with our picks for the most unique, highest-quality gifts for kids that you won’t find in Target or Walmart. We divided the Holiday Gift Guide by age and gender to make it easy for you to find the perfect Wow! gift.

Whether its kid’s cooking sets, family-fun games, arts and crafts kits, toys, or personalized gifts you’re looking for, our goal is to help you find really unique, cool kid’s gifts that will thrill the children, grandchildren, and nieces and nephews on your list.

This video highlights 10 of the Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids from our Holiday Gift Guide. All of these gift ideas are available at our sister site, www.ChocolateCakeClub.com. Your gift purchases help us to continue to bring you our great ideas for Family Fun on this blog site.

Here’s a list with links to the Top 10 Unique Christmas Gifts for Kids from the video:

    1. Playful Chef Kids Cooking Set (The cute apron that comes with the set can even be personalized!)
    2. SmartLab Custom Rides Design Studio
    3. Handlebar Horse Bike Accessory
    4. Kids Toiletry Bags (The Monkey & Butterfly are Best Sellers)
    5. Football Game and Action Figures Set
    6. Calafant Cardboard Castle Toy & Art Kit
    7. Monkey Stuffed Animal & Pull Along Backpack
    8. Timmy the Tractor Book & Stuffed Plush Toy
    9. Personalized Hooded Bath Towels (Check out the cute Grinch!)
    10. A Light in the Night Glow Friend and Book Set

Hopefully we’ve helped make finding the perfect gift a piece of cake. Happy Stress-free Shopping and I hope your Holidays are full of “Chocolate Cake Moments” with your family.

Thanks!
Sue Kirchner
Chief Fun Officer
www.ChocolateCakeClub.com
www.ChocolateCakeMoments.com

[Read more →]

Tags: 2010 Holiday Gift Guide · Cool Finds

Incredible Cyber Monday Deals at ChocolateCakeClub.com

It’s Cyber Monday and we have some unprecedented deals for you! We’ve taken 25% off of some of our top selling gifts for babies, kids, and even Moms. Hop on over to ChocolateCakeClub.com to find some great gift ideas on sale or find inspiration for the perfect gift for your little loved one in our Holiday Gift Guide. We promise we’ll make you look like a Gift-Buying Superstar!


Stephen Joseph on Sale!


TODAY ONLY, save 25% OFF of all our best selling Stephen Joseph Quilted Backpacks, Toiletry Bags, Wallets, Lunch Bags and Toddler Nap Mats. We NEVER put these on sale so hurry and grab yours today. The super adorable toiletry bags are only $14.21!!!! Go ahead and personalize them all at these prices.


Huge Schleich Sale!


The ultimate Schleich gifts for your kids are on sale today only! Save 25% off of the
Schleich Knights Castle, Elf House, and Animal Nursery/ Vet Center. Schleich makes collector quality toys that kids find so irrisistible. My kids still play with their Schleich toys, 5 years later. Save $42 on the Knights Castle and Animal Center! Then grab some very cool, realistic action figures to make this their coolest Holiday ever. They won’t be able to stop thanking you!


Coolest Art Kits


For your older kids who are too cool for craft kits, we’ve got the perfect gifts on sale. Our
Custom Rides Design Studio is a great gift for boys who want to design their own cars and motorcycles. Everything is included to customize the ride of their dreams. For your little fashionista, don’t miss 25% off our House of Fashion Design Studio. She’ll have a blast creating a wardrobe fit for Project Runway.


The Gift of Organization


Take 25% OFF of our popular
Mom’s Plan-it Family Wall and Engagement Calendars. Give yourself or someone you love the gift of organization this year. Both calendars help keep your family organized with spaces for track up to 5 people in your family and stickers to easily mark common appointments and kids activities.


Cat in the Hat is Back


One of our top Holiday gifts for baby, this
Cat in the Hat Stacker Toy wants to make mischief with your little one this Holiday Season. It’s super cute and helps encourage motor skills. Bonus! With it’s bright, red and white colors, it’s a perfect fit for Christmas.Get our your book and enjoy some Dr. Seuss inspired fun.

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Tags: 2010 Holiday Gift Guide · Cool Finds

How the Elf on the Shelf Elves Get Ready for Christmas

Watch this super cute video with your kids to show them how the Elf on the Shelf elves get ready for the Christmas season.

Want more information on the Elf on the Shelf Christmas Family Holiday Tradition? Read my post on What is the Elf on the Shelf Tradition and When to Start Elf on the Shelf.

[Read more →]

Tags: 25 Days of Christmas Family Fun · Cool Finds · Holiday Fun · Holiday Traditions

Top Holiday Gifts for Girls

We are wrapping up our posts on top Holiday gift ideas for kids from the ChocolateCakeClub.com 2010 Holiday Gift Guide. Today, you’ll see our favorite unique gifts for girls 7 years old and up. Click on the link to our Holiday Gift Guide to see all of our top picks for kids divided by age and gender to make shopping a little easier.

Playful Chef Kids Cooking Kits

The Playful Chef Kids Cooking Kits will help you tap into your kids’ eagerness to help in the kitchen. These kids cooking kits provide the nutritional know-how, kid-sized cooking tools, and fun recipes you’ll need to get your little one cooking! We can’t think of a better Chocolate Cake Moment than to have fun in the kitchen making Chocolate Mountain Lava Cakes (recipe included in kit.)

FF79   $39.95

 

House of Fashion Design Studio

Does your little girl dream of appearing on Project Runway. Get her fashion design career off to a head start with this House of Fashion Design Studio. Create entire collections using a custom light tablet and cling-type wardrobe pieces. Add color, pattern, texture and embellishment for a look all your own. Let your creative senses run wild with this ultimate arts & craft kit.

TY152   $42.95

 

Spa Pedicure and Slipper Set
It’s Girl Time!!! This new Spa Pedicure and Slipper Decorating Kit is so much fun for your pampered girly-girl. She can pamper her feet with the pedicure set then while her toes are drying, decorate the slippers that will showcase the artfully beautiful toes. This is a great activity for a sleepover or a lazy Christmas morning! See our other Craft Kits here.

AS127  $21.95

 

All Natural Spa Kit

Believe it or not, this is a science kit! Your girls can pamper themselves while they learn the science behind a dozen different spa product recipes. The kit will teach girls how to create their very own unique beauty products and spa treatments out of household natural materials and custom-tooled components. Unleash some serious fun while creating Glitter Gel, Berry Lip Balm, or an Avocado Face Mask. Great for a slumber party!

TY118   $19.95

 

My First Sewing Kit

Encourage her creative side and teach her to sew – a lifelong skill. Everything she needs to start sewing is all in this My First Sewing Kit. The kit includes cool pre-cut patterns for quick and easy projects! Included are 8 colors of embroidery floss, shapes to make felt animals and a notebook cover, stuffing, fabric, ric rac, needles, scissors, measuring tape, straight pins, thimble, pin cushion, buttons and a pom-pom strip all in the cute and colorful carrying case.

AS126    $24.95

 

Cap It Off Jewelry Kit

Here’s a new twist to making jewelry. The Cap It Off Jewelry Craft Kit is a fun new way to make bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. Decorate the bottle caps with with stickers, beads, or satin any way you want. Create your unique set of jewelry for a friend or just for yourself.

AS136     $17.95

 

Spunky Stripe Messenger Bag

The Four Peas Spunky Stripe Messenger Bag is THE hip accessory. Flaunt a fun, girly attitude with this generously sized messenger bag that will help your kids tote their school stuff or important travel items. Your kid will love the bag for its style, Moms will love it for the sturdy construction.

OG673    $31.95

Truth or Dare Slumber Party Game

The age old game of truth or dare is ready for a new generation. The Truth or Dare Box of Questions is a great way to get your slumber party started! Spin the miniature spinner to reveal what your question is going to be: Truth, Dare, or Double Dare. There are 83 cards to pick from to ensure a whole lot of laughs and revealing of secrets!

FF165    $19.95

   


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Tags: 2010 Holiday Gift Guide

Top Holiday Gifts for Boys

We are wrapping up our posts on top Holiday gift ideas for kids from the ChocolateCakeClub.com 2010 Holiday Gift Guide. Today, you’ll see our favorite unique gifts for boys 7 years old and up. Click on the link to our Holiday Gift Guide to see all of our top picks for kids divided by age and gender to make shopping a little easier.

Star Wars Jedi Projector

Join Captain Rex as he introduces your son to the world of Star Wars Clone Wars vehicles! The Star Wars Jedi Projector projects 24 Clone Wars vehicles images on the wall or ceiling. Your child will learn these fictional vehicles are similar to our own with the synchronized audio tour CD narrated by Captain Rex. Out of this world fun!

TY108   $39.95

 

Totem Boys Building Kit
Totem Boys is a new toy/ building activity kit that is half puzzle and half model. Imprinted on each of the 120 recycled laminiated cardboard cards are totally cool signs, symbols, textures and images that when put together look awesome. For kids with real imagination, the possibilities for building cool, 3-D objects is endless. Or, the kit comes with instructions to build a spaceship, airplane, building, or sailing ship. This activity is not only fun but eco-friendly.

FF135  $36.00

 

Marble Mania Galaxy Techno Gears

Marble Mania Galaxy is like no other marble run you’ve seen before. Create multiple space-themed marble run designs using over 425 pieces. Interlocking plates, gears, 3-D connectors, shafts, channels, funnel and pendulum make up this totally cool marble run set. Blinking lights, glow in the dark features, and sound effects just make it even better. An automatic marble launcher shoots the marble onto twists and turns that you create. Construct, play, and build again to see which designs work the best and the most fun. Your child will have hours of fun creating the perfect run.

TY155   $72.95

 

Camouflage Power Popper Gun
With the Camo Power Popper, your child can blast his friends with soft, foam balls. Slide the handle back and forth to shoot. The faster you slide the handle, the faster and further the balls launch. Safe, fun, and perfect for indoors or out. Don’t forget to buy more ammunition. They tend to get lost.

TY107     $34.95

 


Be Amazing Big Bag of Science


I know we all want our kids to be smart so parents love the idea of science kits as “toys.” Your kids may not jump up and down when they see this however, once the bag is open, they go nuts for the fun experiments they can do. There are over 70 unique hands-on activities to experiment with. You will be able to make water disappear, have liquid flow uphill, grow fake snow instantly, create a 30′ soda geyser, and so much more we can’t list them all.

TY159     $39.95

 

Pool Sharks Game

Your kids will shoot like a shark in this fast-paced game of underwater billiards. But watch out for the slippery Eight Ball – sink it too soon and you’ve sunk the game! Shoot the most balls into the fish pockets and you rule the pool. This miniaturized game of pool will indeed be fun for the whole family, but will also help increase hand-eye coordination and learn action-reaction skills.

FF148    $26.95

Custom Rides Design Studio

Your child will have a blast designing cars and motorcycles with this Custom Rides Design Studio. Put the old noggin’ to work and create a totally unique car or motorcyle on paper using the light up tablet, how to book, and colored pencils and markers. Ignite the imagination and hit the road! This is the ultimate “cool” art kit for boys.

TY153    $42.95

   


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Tags: 2010 Holiday Gift Guide

Top Holiday Gifts for 5 & 6 Year Old Girls

Continuing with the ChocolateCakeClub.com’s 2010 Holiday Gift Guide, here are our picks for the best Holiday gifts for girls ages 5 to 6 years old. They are bound to say Wow!

Schleich Animal Rescue Center

This Animal Nursery is the perfect play accessory for all you animal lovers. The versatile toy has divided rooms, movable shutters and doors, and realistic details for you to turn this structure into anything you imagine like an animal hospital, animal shelter and rescue center, or animal training center. The possibilities are endless for a creative imagination. Don’t forget get to grab some of the Schleich animal figures for the ultimate gift for your little one.

TY161   $169.95

 

Schleich Summergreen Elf/ Fairy House

It’s time to enter the magical world of fairies and elves with this beautiful, collector-quality fairy house. It even includes a little swing for the fairies. Your magical little girl will spend hours pretending with this beautiful house. Don’t forget to grab some Fairy, Elf and Unicorn action figures to make this the ultimate Holiday gift.

TY162   $79.95

 

Playful Chef Kids Cooking Kits

The Playful Chef Kids Cooking Kits will help you tap into your kids’ eagerness to help in the kitchen. These kids cooking kits provide the nutritional know-how, kid-sized cooking tools, and fun recipes you’ll need to get your little one cooking! We can’t think of a better Chocolate Cake Moment than to have fun in the kitchen making Chocolate Mountain Lava Cakes (recipe included in kit.)

FF79   $39.95

 

Crafty Christmas Set
Get ready to sew, glue, decorate, and create 18 easy Christmas projects found in this one Crafty Christmas Kit. Have fun with your little girl making cards, felt ornaments, christmas tags, picture frames, and much more. Everything she needs is stored in a miniature Christmas suitcase, which you can use over and over again.

AS137  28.95

 

Magical Unicorn Hoodel Bath/ Beach Towel

You can’t buy her the unicorn she’s been wanting, but you can make getting warm and dry a bit more magical. This fantasy-filled towel is a substantial 100% cotton terry embellished with an embroidered face, a cuddly polar fleece mane, and a sturdy felt horn. It’s perfect for after bath or at the pool. Designed and sewn in the USA. Can be personalized. See all of our Kids Hooded Bath Towel designs.

GHA356   $38.00

 

My Scrapbook Kit

Encourage your little girl to capture all of her favorite memories and BFF moments in one great book with the My Scrapbook Kit! She’ll impress friends and family by jazzing up each photo with the cool accessories. This is a great activity to do with Mom and Grandma or with her best friends during a slumber party. See our other Craft Kits here.

AS123    $22.00

 

Totem Girls Recycled Construction Toy

Hey, girls love to build too! Totem Nature is a toy/ building activity kit that is half puzzle and half model kit but with plenty of girl appeal. What you get is a bunch of unique die-cut panels made from recycled laminated cardboard. Imprinted on each of the 120 cards are totally cool signs, symbols, textures and images that look awesome when put together to build anything you can imagine.

FF168     $36.00

 

Picnic Basket Set

This charming Kids Picnic Basket Set by Alex contains everything you need for a perfect picnic. This 18-piece enamelware set contains a wicker basket, 4 plates, 4 cups, 4 spoons, 4 forks and tablecloth. Your kids will love having a picnic in the backyard or the park with their friends – real or imaginary.

GF298    $29.95

Flapdoodle Game

FlapDoodle is a new game of totally silly nonsensical fun for kids and families, perfect for Friday Night Game Night. You’ll race through the FlapDoodle factory, where you’ll have to use your creativity and imagination to answer crazy questions and do silly stunts. For example, you might have to take off your socks and shoes and have your two big toes talk to each other about potato chips. Crazy characters like Super Ninja Monkey will help you cruise around the board.

FF111    $22.95

 

   


Which item do you think your little girl would love most?

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Tags: 2010 Holiday Gift Guide

This Thursday, Make a Messterpiece

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If you live in the Chicagoland area, make a mess with your kids this Thursday! And, save $15, for being a ChocolateCakeMoments.com reader.

If you haven’t been to the new Make a Messterpiece kids creative studio yet, head on over to their fun location in the Glen, this Thursday, November 18th. Just tell the lovely people at the counter that ChocolateCakeMoments.com told you to say “Customer Appreciation” to get free admission for your child ($10) and 1 free activity ($5). Parents are always free.

Your kids will have fun partaking in any one of the creative activities like Creative Kitchen, Bubbleology, Splattacular Tables or Drum Roll. You can enjoy these activities with your kids or leave them in the hands of the expert staff while you get some downtime in their Club M Lounge. Club M features home-like furniture, free Wi-Fi, books, magazines,and resource boards. You can purchase refreshments and watch your kids make a mess with glee on a closed circuit TV.

Check out their website for the address and hours of operation. What are you waiting for? Head on over and make a mess.

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Tags: Cool Finds · Family Fun Ideas

Top Holiday Gifts for 5 & 6 Year Old Boys

Continuing with the ChocolateCakeClub.com’s 2010 Holiday Gift Guide, here are our picks for the best Holiday gifts for boys ages 5 to 6 years old.

Schleich Knights Castle

This collector’s quality Knight’s Castle is the perfect battleground for heroic toys to duel it out and conquer the land. Create a moat, pull up the draw bridge, protect the king from disaster! The attention to detail on this castle is amazing. Don’t forget to grab some knights to complete this incredible gift. Your child will play with this toy for years.

TY160   $169.95

 

Totem Boys Building Kit
Totem Boys is a new toy/ building activity kit that is half puzzle and half model. Imprinted on each of the 120 recycled laminiated cardboard cards are totally cool signs, symbols, textures and images that when put together look awesome. For kids with real imagination, the possibilities for building cool, 3-D objects is endless. Or, the kit comes with instructions to build a spaceship, airplane, building, or sailing ship. This activity is not only fun but eco-friendly.

FF135  $36.00

 

Hooded Bath/ Beach Towels

Holy Bath Adventure! Turn your next bath into an adventure with these totally cool Black Mask and Robot Hooded Bath Towels. Your kids will beg you to bathe just so they can wear these fun and imaginative towels. Can be personalized!

GHA235   $38.00

 

Flapdoodle Game

FlapDoodle is a new game of totally silly nonsensical fun for kids and families, perfect for Friday Night Game Night. You’ll race through the FlapDoodle factory, where you’ll have to use your creativity and imagination to answer crazy questions and do silly stunts. For example, you might have to take off your socks and shoes and have your two big toes talk to each other about potato chips. Crazy characters like Super Ninja Monkey will help you cruise around the board.

FF111    $22.95

 

Green Camouflage Build a Fort Kit
Tired of trying to build a fort and the blanket never stays put? No good hiding places outside to set up camp? No worries. This Green Camouflage Fort Kit has everything you need – fabric, ropes, clips and suction cups – to build your fort, inside or out. It even includes 2 glow-in-the dark wands for extra fun.

TY158     $32.95

 

Football Guys Game and Action Figures

Are you ready for some football? Sports and action figures have been a part of a kid’s life since the invention of toys. Now both are combined in this Football Guys Game Set. Set includes some suggested game ideas or use your imagination to reenact your favorite game day plays. Sports action figures are a refreshing alternative to army guys. Also available in a Hockey set.

TY135    $24.99

Playful Chef Kids Cooking Kits

The Playful Chef Kids Cooking Kits will help you tap into your kids’ eagerness to help in the kitchen. These kids cooking kits provide the nutritional know-how, kid-sized cooking tools, and fun recipes you’ll need to get your little one cooking! We can’t think of a better Chocolate Cake Moment than to have fun in the kitchen making Chocolate Mountain Lava Cakes (recipe included in kit.)

FF79   $39.95

 

Fold ‘N Fly Paper Airplane Kit

Introduce your child to the exciting world of paper airplane creation with this easy kit. You can make up to 18 planes on different printed papers. Have flying contests with your friends or with Dad. The airplane kit contains everything you need to make a fleet of paper airplanes!

AS138   $9.99

 

   


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Tags: 2010 Holiday Gift Guide

Top Holiday Gifts for Girls 3 – 4 Years Old

Here are more of our top gift picks for kids this Holiday season. Read on for the coolest, most unique Holiday gifts for 3 – 4 year old girls. Check out the entire 2010 Holiday Gift Guide from ChocolateCakeClub.com.

All-in-One Retro Kids Wooden Kitchen

Every child needs a play kitchen and this retro-design wooden kitchen is so fun! Includes a refrigerator, write on-wipe-off marker board, a sink, microwave, oven with pull-out rack, dishwasher, open and close storage, wall phone, clock with moveable hands and more. Order early to make sure it arrives on time.

FN100   $199.99 each

 

Eco-Friendly Tea Set

The environmentally conscious toymakers at Green Toys have crafted this Eco-Friendly Kids Tea Set out of 100% recycled milk jugs! The tea cups are nicely sized so that your child can actually drink something out of it. The tea set is completely non-toxic so you don’t have to worry if they want to sip some “tea” as they play. Finally, a pretty tea set that you can let your youngsters play with and not worry about them breaking it. It’s good, clean fun.

GF400  $24.95

 

Princess Hooded Bath/Beach Towel

Your little princess will be singing and dancing to the bathtub to get clean with this super cute Princess Hooded Bath Towel. This super-soft Kids Hooded Bath Towel is made from top quality, super absorbent, 100% cotton in pink with yellow crown on hood. Sewn in the USA. Can be personalized with her Highness’ name. See all of our Kids Hooded Bath Towel designs.

GHA353   $38.00

 

Decorate Your Own Princess Castle

Your little princess will love decorating her very own recyclable, cardboard palace with markers or pencils, or better yet add fabric pieces, gems, glitter, or any other materials that will make your castle truly unique. Once your castle is decorated, let your toys move in for hours of imaginative play. Castle is easy to construct, no glue or scissors needed.

AS148    $24.95

 

Monkey Hide and Seek Safari Game

The award-winning Monkey Hide & Seek Safari Game is one of our favorite games. Hide the Monkey somewhere in the house. Your child then uses the Seeker Wand to find the Monkey, watching as the lights on the wand indicate hotter or colder. The Seeker will sound off when the Monkey is near for a banana-load of fun.

FF117   $34.95

 

Playful Chef Kids Cooking Set

Looking to have some fun with your kids and teach them the joy of cooking? The Playful Chef Kids Cooking Kits will help you tap into your kids’ egerness to help in the kitchen. These kids cooking kits for ages 3-5 years old provide the nutritional know-how, kid-sized cooking tools, and fun recipes you’ll need to get your little one cooking! We can’t think of a better Chocolate Cake Moment than to have fun in the kitchen making Chocolate Mountain Lava Cakes (recipe included in kit.)

FF115    $42.95

Cottage House Play Tent

What child could resist playing games with six adorable little puppies? The Puppy Pursuit Games are designed to get your kids up and moving. Enjoy fun with the family and promote gross motor skills, balance, hand-eye coordination, memory, auditory skills and color recognition all at the same time. Each huggable, plush puppy has a personalized collar with the dog’s name. How cute!

TY126    $79.95

Handlebar Horse Bike Accessory

What little girl wouldn’t love to transform her bike into a beautiful white horse? With the Handlebar Horse Plush Horse Head & Tail you can do just that! Horse head and tail easily slip onto any bike. Press the horses ears to hear “real” galloping horse sounds. Bike riding will be so much fun!

FF149    $21.95

   


What do you think? Which of these gift ideas do you like?

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Tags: 2010 Holiday Gift Guide · Cool Finds

Best Holiday Gifts for Boys 3 – 4 Years Old

Continuing with our picks for the top gifts for kids this Holiday season, here are the coolest, most unique Holiday gifts for 3 – 4 year old boys. Check out the entire 2010 Holiday Gift Guide from ChocolateCakeClub.com.

Dragon Lair Playhouse Tent

Your little knight will enjoy hours of imaginative playtime in his very own playtent. Grab your dragon fighting sword and some back-up to defend the castle. These sturdy, high-quality tents are perfect for backyard or basement fun time. He’ll be the envy of the neighborhood.

TY134   $79.99

 

Monkey Hide and Seek Safari Game

The award-winning Monkey Hide & Seek Safari Game is one of our favorite games. Hide the Monkey somewhere in the house. Your child then uses the Seeker Wand to find the Monkey, watching as the lights on the wand indicate hotter or colder. The Seeker will sound off when the Monkey is near for a banana-load of fun.

FF117   $34.95

 

Monster Hooded Towel
Say goodbye to bath time complaints!! Your kids will beg you to bathe just so they can get out and wear these fun and imaginative Monster hooded towels. These not-too-scary Monster Hooded Bath Towels are made from top quality, super absorbent, 100% cotton in purple and green. These 54″x28″ (plus hood) towels are big enough for kids from 2 to 8 years old and sturdy enough to last until they grow out of them. Can be personalized!

GHA234  $38.00

 

Farm Cardboard Art Kit

Here is a great play accessory for your farm friends. The recyclable cardboard farm by Calafant is so fun to put together and decorate. Follow the easy instructions to construct your farm without using any glue or scissors using the slot together attachments. The rest is creativity and imagination – paint, color, and decorate your farm however you choose. Then get your farm animals and play. See all of our Calafant art kits.

AS147   $24.95

 

Eco-Friendly Toy Trucks

This is THE perfect toy. Family Fun Magazine picked this toy Recycling Truck as one of their 2009 Toy of the Year Winners. Green Toys has crafted this Eco-Friendly Kids Recycling Truck out of 100% recycled milk jugs! Kids can cut the images of bottles, cans, and paper off of the recycled cardboard box to sort and load into the truck’s slots. It’s good, clean fun and may even give you a chance to explain the importance of recycling to your young one in a fun way. Don’t forget the new Firetruck, Dump Truck or the Tool Belt, also made of old milk cartons.

TY102   $24.95

 

Playful Chef Kids Cooking Set
Looking to have some fun with your kids and teach them the joy of cooking? The Playful Chef Kids Cooking Kits will help you tap into your kids’ eagerness to help in the kitchen. These kids cooking kits for ages 3-5 years old provide the nutritional know-how, kid-sized cooking tools, and fun recipes you’ll need to get your little one cooking! We can’t think of a better Chocolate Cake Moment than to have fun in the kitchen making Chocolate Mountain Lava Cakes (recipe included in kit.)

FF115     $42.95

 

Timmy the Tractor Book & Plush Toy
Meet Timmy the Tractor! Cuddle up with Timmy as you read about his day on the farm. In the book “His Hay Day” by Angie Wyatt, Timmy introduces you to all the different tractors used on the farm to harvest hay. Have fun learning what the job of each tractor is and what it takes to get the hay ready for all the farm animals to eat. p>

GF492  $24.95

 

Monkey Pull-Along Backpack
The Plush Monkey Stuffed Animal and Roller Backpack is two great items in one. A furry roller backpack is perfectly sized to carry small toys and goodies through the airport or to Grandma’s. The funny stuffed animal monkey on the front comes off to play and keep your child amused while traveling. There is even a tiny zipper compartment on the back of the animal to store secret treasures. Personalize the backpack for more gift fun.

OG582    $28.95

Little Hands Deluxe Card Kit
Card games are perfect for family fun game night. Although sometimes the hard part is holding all those cards in little hands. The Deluxe Card Holder Game Set by Gamewright comes with 2 little hands card holders to make it easier for even the youngest card shark in the family to hold on to all the cards.

FF185    $12.99

   


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Tags: 2010 Holiday Gift Guide · Cool Finds

Best Holiday Gift Ideas for Boys 1 -2 Years Old

If you are looking for a truly unique gift for that special 1 – 2 year old boy in your life, check out our top picks from the ChocolateCakeClub.com 2010 Holiday Gift Guide. We searched high and low this year for high quality, unique gifts with a lot of Wow! factor. Make a little boy’s Holiday extra special with these gifts.

YBike Toddler Balancing Bike
This multiple award winning toddler balance bike is built to help promote motor skill development, yet look cool while doing it. Designed in South Africa, the ingenious YBIKE makes learning to ride a bike effortless for children as young as 2 years. Available in a variety of colors.

TY143   $79.99

 

Eco-Friendly Toy Trucks

The Green Toys toddler play trucks are THE best toy. Not only are these eco-friendly toy trucks made out of 100% recycled milk jugs, but they have won numerous toy awards. Available in Firetruck, Dump Truck and Recycling Truck designs.

TY138   $24.99

 

Construction Zone Play Tent

This Construction Zone Tent by Pacific Play Tents is spacious enough for all the neighborhood friends to “build” a little fun! The outdoor constuction site scene on the tent exterior is complete with construction signs and machinery. Bring your tools, trucks, imagination, and get to work!

TY129    $74.00

 

Sports Toddler Nap Mat

This Sports-Themed Toddler Nap Mat is perfect for taking to daycare, on overnight trips to Grandma’s house, or even keep in the car for impromptu naps. Each nap mat is extremely soft and comfortable, the head can be used as a pillow, and it includes an attached blanket. The toddler nap mat easily rolls up and comes with shoulder straps that are adjustable on the back for a comfortable fit. Personalize it with your child’s name! Also available in monkey or doggie designs.

OG681     $49.95

 

Blue Monkey Toddler Backpack

Help your kids assert their independence by letting them carry their most valued possessions THEMSELVES with our best selling Toddler Quilted Backpacks. These machine washable backpacks are great for taking toys to restaurants or blankies to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Backpacks are available in over 20 different designs, you’re sure to find one that’s perfect for your little one. Don’t forget to personalize the backpack with your child’s name.

BK221    $24.95

A Light in the Night Glow Friend and Book Set
We have discovered this adorable Kids Night Light set called Light in the Night Glow Friend Book Set. If your child is scared, just squeeze the Glow Friend’s tummy and he’ll light up to prove there is nothing scary in the room. Included with this Glow Friend is a fun, illustrated book for families to read before bed calming to calm the nerves of any little one.

GHA370  $34.95

 

Play Mat and Toy Tote
This perfect little vinyl play mat provides hours of imaginative fun with toy trucks, guys and trains. Best yet, it converts into a tote for storing those toys when not in use.

TY125  $15.95

 

Huggable Plush Elf on the Shelf
Santa’s helper is now available for hugs and snuggles! This Elf on the Shelf 19″ Plush Elf is so soft and adorable. Kids can curl up with a blanket and their Elf for a night of holiday movies, bring him along for Christmas caroling, or just prop him up for all to enjoy. This lovable elf is the perfect holiday gift that gets everyone in the holiday spirit. If you don’t have an Elf on the Shelf Book & Elf set yet, grab it now to start a wonderful family holiday tradition.

FF174  $13.95

 

   


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Tags: 2010 Holiday Gift Guide

Best Christmas Gifts for Babies

It’s baby’s first Christmas! To make life a little easier for all of you busy gift buyers out there, I’ve put together a list of some great gift ideas to help you commemorate the event as well as fun toys to keep baby smiling well into the new year. All of these items are available at our eboutique, www.ChocolateCakeClub.com.

Gentle Giraffe Sleep Soother

The Gentle Giraffe Children’s Sleep Soother by Cloud b is the perfect bedtime buddy! The plush giraffe is an interactive plush toy that plays fun sounds when your children want to play, and plays soothing sounds when they are ready to sleep. The Gentle Giraffe is also essential for traveling or sleeping in an unfamiliar environment, like visiting Grandma and Grandpa’s house for the first time.

GHA402   $24.95

 

Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat Stacker Toy
Here is a classic baby toy with a Dr. Suess twist. The bright red and white Cat in the Hat Stacker Toy is not only adorable, but fun! This toy is perfect for teaching hand-eye coordination or brightening up any baby room. One Fish, Two Fish Fishbowl Toy also available.
For Age: 9 months and up

TY150  $29.99

 

Comfy & Stylin’ Baby Clothes

Hand Picked Pumpkin baby clothes are at the top of our list for Baby’s First Holiday Gifts. These stylish and comfy baby hoodies and matching pants for girls and boys are a must-have to keep baby warm. Often seen on celebrity babies, these clothes are designed and made in the USA by a fellow Mom. You’ll love the stylish details and baby will love the comfort. Don’t forget the matching Stroller Blankets and Burp Cloth Sets for an enviable gift. 9 months – 18 months.

BC102 Boys & BC101 Girls   $78.00

 

Baby Dish Sets

We have some adorable baby dishes that would brighten up any meal. Safe, sturdy dish sets include dish, silverware, sippy cups, and placemat. They come in a variety of adorable designs. Our favorites? The retro-designed Secret Garden and Retro Robot.

GHA375 Secret Garden & EF124 Retro Robot    $32.95 each

 

The Grinch Hooded Baby Bath Towel

Your little Holiday baby will look so adorable drying off with this super cute Grinch Hooded Baby Bath Towel. You’ll love how it keeps baby warm and comfortable after a bath. Can be personalized with baby’s name. The Grinch’s dog Max is also available. See all of our Baby & Kids Hooded Bath Towels.

GHA372    $29.95

 

Santa Baby Bib & Bootie Set

Celebrate Baby’s 1st Christmas with this adorable Santa Baby Bib & Bootie Set. Your baby will be the hightlight of the family celebrations this season wearing the Santa face bib with the words “Baby’s 1st Christmas”, Santa hat, and cuddly red booties. Who can resist a snuggly little santa?

GF468     $24.95

Green Toys First Building Blocks

Here is the perfect basic starter block set for your baby and for the eco-friendly parent. Large, light-weight, bold colored blocks make it easy for baby to grab and stack. A variety of shapes make it fun to build towers, houses, or any combination of blocks they can imagine.

TY137     $24.95

   


Read our entire 2010 Holiday Gift Guide, with gift suggestions divided by age to make shopping a little easier.

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Tags: 2010 Holiday Gift Guide

I Walked on My Grave

It was a dark and spooky night in the middle of a cornfield in Missouri ….

graveyard

Actually it was sunny and lovely on a recent trip to Iowa to visit family. We made a short trip to Missouri for a family reunion and one the way back, we decided to visit the Zion Cemetery where the original Kirchner family who came over from Germany was buried. After several wrong turns and stops to ask for directions, we found the cemetery in the middle of nowhere in the cornfields.

Lo and behold, what do we see but a tombstone for Charles and Susie Kirchner. FREAKY!!!!!!! We were trying not to smile because you know, no one smiled in the 1800s. They were always so serious in photos. While I would rather be caught dead than called Susie, it’s still a pretty spooky encounter, don’t you think?

Don’t we look cute as ghosts?

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Tags: Cool Finds · Halloween Family Fun Ideas

It’s Mom Time: 21 Habits of Happy Moms

I just read this great article over at HybridMom.com on 21 Habits of Happy Moms. We all want more happiness in our life, right? Well, check out this list of 21 things we should be doing to be happier. While I have to say that I don’t do all of them, I was surprised to see that I do quite a few on the list.

My number one tip for Moms out there is to plan your “Mom Moments.” I sound anal when I say this (and trust me, I am not the poster child for the organized Mom) but I write my Mom time activities down in my daily planner so that I don’t schedule anything over them and they’re treated as an important engagement. I write down when I am going to work out and I even write in my lunch time where I get to read a juicy novel while eating. That way I have no excuses for why I didn’t take some time for myself to create happy moments.

To me, happiness comes in moments, which is why I called this site Chocolate Cake Moments. Happiness just can’t be a permanent state. Life throws us too many curve balls. So planning these Mom time activities and even your family fun activities will help to create more happy Chocolate Cake Moments – where we are smiling, relaxed, and enjoying life – giving us an overall sense of happiness.

What do you think? Does happiness come in moments or can you be happy all of the time? What do you do to feel happy?

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Tags: Cool Finds · Help Mom Stay Organized · Parenting Tips

Owls are Hot! Hoo, Hoo Knew?

Owls are THE hot animal this year in kids products. With the release of the Legend of the Guardians: Owls of Ga’Hoole movie, your kids may have owl fever this year. At the Chocolate Cake Club, we’ve got some adorable Owl-themed kids products that make great Halloween, Holiday or movie-themed gifts.

To make this an even smarter gift for you, take 15% off of any of these Owl themed gifts. Use coupon code OWL15 on check-out. Offer ends Sunday, October 24th.

Owl Toddler Backpack

One Smart Backpack
First up, our brand NEW Owl Quilted Toddler Backpack perfect for carrying toys to Grandma’s house. The backpack is super cute, it’s machine washable, and you can personalize it for an extra special touch.

owl wallet

Saving Money is Wise!

Your little girl will love saving and storing her money in this super cute, pink and brown Owl Kids Wallet!

owl dishes
Dish It Up!
Make mealtime a whole lot more fun with this beautiful Owl Melamine Dish Set. The set includes an extra large placemat, suction cup divided plate, silverware, and a double handled sippy cup. The best news for Mom is that the set meets all U.S. and European safety standards and is dishwasher safe. Bon Owlpetite!

owl alarm clock
Wake Up, Night Owl
They say it’s hard to “Soar with the Eagles when you Hoot with the Owls.” Now that school has started, are you having problems getting your night owl out of bed? Well, THIS owl is here to help. Your daughter will take charge and get ready for school by herself with this retro-design Owl Talking Kids Alarm Clock. Every year these alarm clocks are best sellers for us. Whether your child uses it to wake up, learn to tell time, or just accessorize her room, she’ll love this owl! For more, read our article on Tips for Getting Your Kids Out of Bed and Ready for School.

Owl Pendant Necklace for Kids
Pretty Birdie!
We love this Morning Owl Pendant Necklace for your animal-loving fashionista. This necklace is the perfect accessory for school, gift for a BFF, or birthday party favor. This latest trend in jewelry is so fun because the pendant is actually an old Scrabble game tile! It also features a swarovski crystal and silver ball chain.

Treasure the Memories!
Our Owl & Pussycat Toothfairy Box is cute, durable and perfectly sized for holding teeth or use it as a small ring or earring box.

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Tags: Cool Finds

We Are Named One of the Leading Moms in Business

StartUp Nation Winners-Emblem

Yippee! I was so excited to find out today that I was named a Leading Mom in Business, for the second year in a row. ChocolateCakeClub.com and ChocolateCakeMoments.com ranked #28 in this year’s StartupNation.com’s Leading Moms in Business contest. That was a huge jump from last year’s ranking so I want to thank everyone who voted for us and especially those of you who voted daily. I greatly appreciate your time and support.

You can see the list of all 200 winners here.

Whoo Hoo! I’m off to tell more people and celebrate this Chocolate Cake Moment.

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Tags: Contests · Cool Finds · Moms Living Out Loud

ChocolateCakeClub.com Featured in New eBook for Mom Entrepreneurs

MomsInBusCVR

Hurray! I was thrilled to find out that I have been featured in Start Your Own Mom Business!, a new eBook by StartupNation. It was definitely a “Chocolate Cake Moment” for me, where I couldn’t stop smiling and felt the need to celebrate with some Sea Salt Caramels (my new favorite sweet).

I received an advance copy for participating and I think it’s a great resource for moms interested in starting and running a successful business. I would have loved to have access to information like this when I was starting up 5 years ago. I could have avoided oh so many mistakes. While we all learn from mistakes, you can only lose so much time or money before the mistakes start to destroy your business or your passion for being an entrepreneur. This book will definitely help Moms who are noodling starting their own business to make some decisions on whether to go for it.

In addition to success tips specific to mom business owners like managing work-life balance, building a support group, or the perils of working from home, the eBook includes advice and insights from me and 19 other winners of StartupNation’s annual Leading Moms in Business Competition, an annual ranking of the top 200 moms in business in America. In my profile (on page 44 in case you buy the book and want to jump right to my section), I give advice on not being afraid to ask for help and how important it is to validate your business idea before jumping into it wholeheartedly. It doesn’t cost a lot of money to do!

The eBook is available for purchase and download from the StartupNation website here. I don’t get any compensation for promoting the book, other than a nice feeling of validation for my business and ideas. I just think it is a good resource that Moms considering pursuing an entrepreneurial dream should know about.

The first section of Start Your Own Mom Business! focuses on the main keys to success for the mom entrepreneur, highlighting the critical areas of time management, delegation, outsourcing and work-life balance.

The second section of the eBook profiles 20 Leading Moms in Business winners, providing the reader with insights into business management strategies, life management skills and success secrets. There is a profile of each company so Moms can learn more and evaluate the many different kinds of business models.

I’m thrilled to be included in the book and I want to thank everyone who voted for ChocolateCakeClub.com and ChocolateCakeMoments.com last year and then again this year in StartUpNation.com’s Leading Moms in Business Contest. There are some awesome Mom Entrepreneurs in the contest that heck, I would love to learn more from.

The eBook is available for purchase and download from the StartupNation website here.

If any of you are Mom Entrepreneurs already or thinking about taking the plunge, what books or resources are invaluable to you?

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Tags: Cool Finds · Moms Living Out Loud

Want to Win Some Awesome Kids Music?

MegaMusic-Party_overlay_v2

Want to win some of the best (OK, we think the best) kids music for your family? Tired of the Wiggles and ready to upgrade to more “sophisticated” kids music? Have a kids birthday party coming up and need some background music or fun music to play Freeze Dance?

Then, head on over to Parentsconnect.com and join in on their Mega Music Party. Here’s a sneak peak at all of the great music-themed prizes they are giving away today. We donated some of our favorite kids music CDs – Pegleg Tango by Captain Bogg & Salty (incredibly fun Pirate Music, perfect for a Pirate Birthday Party), Beethoven’s Wig (classical music with funny lyrics kids love), and finally our personal fave – Ralph’s World. We saw him this weekend at our local StreetFest which was a blast.

ralphs world palatine street fest

Click here to enter to win the music we donated.

The ParentsConnect.com Mega Music Party is going until on until 11:59 p.m. EST tonight. Don’t forget to enter!

Want to see all of the great kids music we sell at ChocolateCakeClub.com? (We only sell the kind of kids music that Mom and Dad like, too! I’m kind of picky that way.)

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Tags: Contests · Cool Finds

Awesome Kids Cooking Classes!

kids cook cooking session

We were visiting my parents in Austin, TX last week and we stopped in to visit a wonderful kids cooking shop called Batter Up Kids Cooking Shop. I am passionate about how cooking with your kids is not only essential for teaching them a life skill but it is one of the best ways I know to share a “Chocolate Cake Moment” together, bonding as a family.

The owner of the shop is Barbara Beery, successful author of several of our favorite kids cooking books like the Spa Princess Cookbook, Pink Princess Tea Parties cookbook, and Fairies Cookbook.
Spa Princess Kids Cookbook

Barbara and her daughter were so gracious when my daughter, Mom and I cruised into the shop. (Three generations of food lovers, oh boy!) You can certainly buy kids cooking kits in the store and they host kids cooking parties and classes, but more importantly you can just walk in and make something. The recipes change every week. My daughter was thrilled. She got to choose to make either a Flowerpot Ice Cream or Groovy Grasshopper Vegetable Dip. (I loved that Barbara had a healthy alternative, even if my daughter didn’t choose it.)

christy cook apron

Before she got down to business making her ice cream treat, my daughter got to decorate a cooking apron with markers and stickers. Barbara mentioned that several kids save their aprons and bring them back to the store to add new decorations as they continue to take classes.

ice cream flower pot

Check out some of Barbara’s fun recipes at her blog site.

If you are in the Austin area and looking for something fun to do with your kids or grandkids, the Batter Up Kids Cooking Shop is a delightful way to have some fun.

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Tags: Cooking with the Kids · Cool Finds · Family Fun Ideas · Fun with Grandma & Grandpa

How to Buy the Perfect Kids Backpack

toddler backpack spunky and supply bag

It’s getting to be that time of year, when our kids are done jumping into pools and beginning to jump into books. That means one thing – school supplies and backpacks. There are some questions that you need to ask yourself and your child before picking that backpack for school or even preschool.

Your child will go through three backpack size phases in their school years – preschool, elementary school, and middle/high school. While you may have more than one backpack during those times, the sizes will grow as your child grows. (I know, that’s obvious.)

Four Peas Rocker Backpack
Preschool or Daycare: A preschool or toddler backpack should be small and simple, just big enough to carry those toddler essentials like a change of clothes, snack, BFF blankie, or a stuffed animal. Generally, a toddler backpack will fit a child ages 2 – 5 years old. So ask yourself, what do they need to bring every day and will this backpack hold it? Are you going to carry it or are they? If they are going to carry their own backpack to preschool then it needs to be smaller and very lightweight. You don’t want them looking like a deformed turtle as they walk down the driveway. Or, if you think you might use the bag while traveling, look for a Pull Along Backpack, one with a handle to make it easier for your child to pull.

frog stuffed backpack

How big do you need it?
Sports Quilted Toddler Backpack
The younger the toddler the harder it may be for them to work a zipper so you might want one with just a flap like this Quilted Toddler Backpack, which is machine washable as well. Bonus! But if zippers are no problem and you want something a little more sturdy, these Four Peas Toddler Backpacks are ideal.

Four Peas School Backpacks
Elementary School: They say Niagara Falls is the 8th wonder of the world but I would argue that it’s my son’s backpack after a day at school. We’re talking a few books, folders, loose papers, a few Lego guys to play with on the bus, and of course pieces of priceless art like life cycles of a butterfly, macaroni necklaces and popsicle stick art. (I know these are going to be worth something on eBay one day.)

So, your child’s backpack needs to hold all that and a bag of chips. If your child takes lunch to school then you also need to fit a lunch bag and maybe a water bottle. Now, here’s the kicker. Does your child go directly to an afterschool activity or care location where they would need to add in sports gear, additional books, or toys? Most school size backpacks are sufficient for an elementary school child’s needs but if you are using the backpack for extra activities or to travel with on the weekends, go for the largest size you can find.

Do you want to embroider their name on the bag? If so, look for a design that has an open space on the front so you can add the name.

Middle or High School: For you, it’s all about durability because they carry some pretty heavy books. Look for durable material and a large size bag. For them, it’s all about the ‘tude. This bag will hold more than just books, it will hold a statement. Don’t be surprised to find their bag covered in hanging doodads or covered with pins and patches. Your child will want to express him or herself so let them go for it.

Four Peas Skater Messenger Bag
There are a variety of styles for older kids; standard backpacks or messenger bags are popular, so have fun with your tween or teen picking out what they feel comfortable carrying- because now they’re not just carrying a bag, but their heart on their sleeve, I mean back.

Cleanability
If you want the backpack to last a few years, look for tough material. Not only to take abuse but to stand up to a hazmat-type cleaning. Make sure it is machine washable or easily surface cleaned. With my kids, we need to empty the bag and wash it every 2 months. They get skanky with food, left over glue, and various other substances that I can’t even identify! Remember, you only want one living thing attached to your kids backpack – your kid.

Last Notes about Design
When your kids are younger, backpacks make a great gift. You or the gift giver can choose a cute, hip, or even plain design and your child will be thrilled. Once your kids gets ready for school, just try and get them to like the same design you do. I dare you! Avoid the arguments and let them pick.

Also, when your kids are younger they are going to gravitate towards the character designed backpacks – Spiderman, Dora, SpongeBob, Princesses, etc. However, these “fad” backpacks will probably only last you one year because your child will move on from that character quickly. “Oh Mom, Dora is so yesterday.” So, if you are going to buy a character backpack, don’t obsess over the quality and durability factors. And don’t pay too much for it because most likely it will go in the donation pile and be going to school with some other child.

Hope these tips helped you. The Chocolate Cake Club has a ton of Kids School Backpacks, Messenger Bags, and Toddler Backpacks if you are looking for ideas and inspiration.

PSST! This weekend only, we are offering 20% off almost all of our popular Back-to-School products like our school and toddler backpacks, messenger bags, lunch boxes, water bottles, alarm clocks, school paper organizers, and even toddler nap mats. Hurry, quantities are limited and sale ends Sunday, August 1st.

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Tags: Back to School Tips · Cool Finds · Parenting Tips

Work From Home Woman’s Interview with Sue Kirchner

Sue Kirchner, President www.ChocolateCakeClub.com

Thank you to Holly Hanna at The Work From Home Woman site for interviewing me and featuring the Chocolate Cake Club on her site. Holly has some wonderful information on running a business from home.

You can read the interview with me here.

Chocolate Cake Club Back to School Giveaway
Here’s another reason to go check out her site – we are sponsoring a Back to School Giveaway where you can win some of the Chocolate Cake Club’s great Back to School Gear. You can enter here but hurry, the contest ends tomorrow at noon. Stay tuned for our 3rd annual Motherlode Back to School Contest which we are going to launch on Thursday. Check back on Thursday for details on how to enter.

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Tags: Back to School Tips · Contests · Cool Finds · Moms Living Out Loud

How to Buy the Perfect Kids Lunch Box

What’s your child’s favorite time at school? For my kids, it’s lunch. But sending your kids to school or day care with a packed lunch can be a hassle. You need to make sure you buy a lunch box or bag that your child loves carrying to show off his or her personal style, but is completely functional for Mom.

Four Peas Skater Lunch Bag
There are all kinds of different sizes, shapes, materials, and designs for lunch bags. Some zipper, some fold over the top. Designs can be funky or just plain functional. But which to choose? Hint: It’s all about Size!

Here are 3 things to think about when picking your child’s lunch bag – size, ease of cleaning, and safety.

groovy peace lunch bag

Size Does Matter

Snack vs. Lunch. My son usually eats a hot lunch from school. However, he does take a snack everyday and sometimes he wants a snack that needs to be kept cold, like a yogurt drink, vegetable dip, or certain fruits that taste better cold. So, if you are only packing a snack, then get the smallest bag you can find.

slam dunk lunch bag

What’s in the Bag?
Figure out what your child will be taking for lunch every day. Pack a typical lunch in your head and guesstimate the space you need. Do they need a drink or will they buy milk at school? If they are bringing a drink, are they bringing a water bottle? If so, will it fit inside the lunch bag to stay cool? How about a juice pack? How will you keep everything cold? Think about what you want to throw in the bag and then you can determine the right size. You don’t want a lunch bag so big that your child needs wheels to drag it to school. But at the same time, you want your child’s lunch all together in one bag and not with separate pieces floating around the backpack getting smashed.

colorama lunch box

Keeping it Cool!
Does your child want to keep lunch items cold or hot? Then the lunch bag needs to be insulated and it needs a cold source. Some lunch bags come with a chill pack, but most don’t. If not, you can buy one separately but make sure it fits in the lunch bag. Some chill packs are huge. It only needs to keep the lunch cold for a few hours so don’t overdo it.

If you don’t want to buy a separate chill pack, here are some tips for keeping lunch cool. Throw some ice cubes in a plastic baggie. Ask your child to empty the melted water and bring the bag back so you can reuse it the next day. (My kids drink it.) Or, if you have a smaller lunch bag and don’t have the room for extras, save space by freezing the water bottle or juice pack then use it as the chill pack to keep the food cold. If your child isn’t concerned about temperature, then ignore all of this.

If your child likes hot soup then make sure you get a thermos. If you want it to fit in the lunch bag, take the thermos with you when you shop for the lunch bag or measure it.

yubo lunch box open
Waste Free Lunches?
We all want to do our part for protecting the environment and waste free lunches are a great way to conserve. Many schools are encouraging kids to bring waste free lunches. Our kids earn points every time they bring a waste free lunch.
I don’t want to keep adding to the landfill problem with plastic baggies so we try to use our clean butter tubs, and other small plastic containers that we can wash and reuse. However, plastic containers take up space in a lunch bag so make sure you have a large enough bag to hold them all. There are some great waste free lunch containers out there like this one from Kids Konserve.

yubo group shot

At Chocolate Cake Club, we really like and therefore sell the Yubo Lunch Box System. It comes with a sandwich container, two side dish containers, and an ice pack. It’s all easy to throw in the dishwasher and reuse. However, the lunch box is designed to hold only the set pieces, so if you think you are going to be adding in a lot of other items, you might want a bigger lunch box.

Robot lunch box

Safety
We all care about our kids’ health and safety. If you are buying a plastic or vinyl lunch bag, just make sure it is lead, phthalate, and PVC free. If your child wants to keep food hot or cold, it needs to be insulated. But definitely make sure to ask if the bag meets all child safety requirements, if it is not labeled as such. Most bags are these days, but just double check the label. We highly suggest aluminum or stainless steel water bottles as an alternative to plastic.

lunch bag designs
Design
OK, now you can think about design. There are so many cool designs on the market from cute to hip to uber trendy. Beyond the graphics, see which type of bag is easiest for your child to open. For a smaller child, a “fold over the top” Velcro closure may be easier than a zipper. Just like with backpacks, kids will express themselves with their lunch bag. Once your safety and size concerns have been met, Mom, let your child choose the design they love.

folkcolor busquets lunch bag

Check out all of the sizes, shapes, and designs of lunch boxes and bags we carry at Chocolate Cake Club. Don’t forget the matching Aluminum or Stainless Steel Water Bottles for your kids.

Read More …
Healthy Lunch Ideas for Kids

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Tags: Back to School Tips · Cool Finds · Parenting Tips

Day #7 30 Day Summer Fun Challenge: Crazy for Construction Sites

Sorry! We skipped a day. Too much going on. You know the drill. We are back on track though with our 30 Day Summer Fun Challenge, where we’re giving you 30 days of simple, creative & most importantly memorable ideas to make this the most fun summer EVER for your family.

What is it with boys and construction equipment? They just love to watch the big machines destroy and build. When my son was 2 he was enthralled by construction equipment and would point it out through the car window. By the time he was 3, he knew the name of all the major equipment and would correct me when I mistakenly called a “front loader” a “backhoe.” (Smart Aleck!)

Well, since I live in Chicago and we have two seasons here – Winter and Construction – I thought I would share one of the fun things we used to do with my son to give him a fix for the Big Machines.

We used to drive around our neighborhood and find a construction site or if we were lucky enough to be able to walk over to one, we’d strap my son in the stroller and head over for some “better-than-reality-TV” entertainment.

Staying out of the danger zone, of course, we would look for a spot to park the car and watch or stroll around and look on in amazement through the safety fence. Cheap. Loud. Fun. The kind of entertainment every young boy craves. Take some photos and show your toddler on the computer screen later to relive the exciting memory. Have fun!

If your child is crazy for construction, check out some of the fun Construction-themed products we sell to help them express their inner demolition expert. These are perfect gifts for toddler boys. Today only, take 25% OFF of these top-selling gifts.

Constructive Eating Silverware
Constructive Eating Plate & Silverware Don’t forget the girls – the fun kids plastic silverware is available in pink too.

construction placemat
Construction Kids Plastic Placemat

construction backpack
Construction Kids Quilted Backpack

Green Toys Recycled Dump Truck Toy
Green Toys Recycled Dump Truck Toy Psst! It’s made entirely from recycled plastic milk jugs. How cool!

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Tags: Adventures · Cool Finds · Family Fun Ideas · Summer Family Activities

Saturday Smile: Just Hanging Out

camera download 669

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Tags: Cool Finds

Live Video Twitter Party with Tyler Florence

I’m excited to be participating in the first-ever video live Twitter event on Monday, June 7th with Food Network Star Tyler Florence. TwitterMoms and Wishbone are hosting this fun event, which should be a blast. Yeah!

He’ll be demonstrating Summer Salads (Yum!) so you can grab some recipes and techniques. You can watch live streaming video of Tyler and the TwitterMoms kitchens and tweet with us here: http://wishbone.twittermoms.com. There will be TwitterMoms kitchens set up in various cities all joining in the fun by video and I will be attending the Chicago kitchen, graciously hosted by Beth Aldrich from RealMomsLovetoEat. Tweet with us and you could win prizes.

Details: Monday, June 7th 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. CST (11 am – 12:30pm PST)

Click here to RSVP and participate!

Hey, did you know that Tyler Florence recently released a line of baby food called Sprout and now he plans to serve Sprout in his three NorCal restaurants? How cool is that? Way to cater to families, Tyler!

I’m looking forward to seeing how this whole live event works on Twitter. I’d love to do a similar virtual event in the future with some Family Fun topics.

You can follow me @SueKirchner on Monday. Hope to tweet with you then!

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Tags: Contests · Cool Finds

Creative Ways to Display Your Kids Artwork

chirsty horse drawing

The Family Gallery: Viewing by Invitation Only

As we explained in our last post on Organizing Your Kids Artwork, there are a few things you can do to get the artwork off of the kitchen counter and out of the closet. Here’s an idea. Why not put it up on the wall instead? Get some sticky tape and display your little masterpieces on the walls. (I would have said stick them up on the fridge but as I learned when we bought our sleek, cool new stainless steel refrigerator – MAGNETS DON”T WORK ON STAINLESS STEEL.)

To get the art off of the counter, we have designated two walls in our house for artwork. My daughter who is the prolific one even created her own sign saying “Christy’s Gallery.”

Tip:You may need to set some rules on which walls can be used to display art. My daughter discovered the magic of tape at an early age and every time I turned around there seemed to be a new picture hanging somewhere in the house. We had to draw the line when she started to hang her art on top of our nicely framed travel photos.

Lil' Davinci Art Frames
You can even buy frames that allow you to change out the artwork if you want to make it look more “professional”. However, our artwork seems to come home in various shapes, sizes and dimensions to sticking with tape works best for us.

I read a good article in Cookie Magazine where some readers had sent in ideas on how they display their kids’ artwork. Some have hung wire or clothes lines on the wall or along the staircase and they use clothespins to creatively hang the artwork. This makes it easy for your kids to hang it themselves. They just clip and go. It’s a great way to decorate and add color to the basement playroom or above your child’s bed. Some other ideas included putting the art in a shadow box.

I’ve bought some colored mats at Michaels to use as a frame or border behind the artwork to make the kids’ artwork look a little more special.

gilt wall sticker frames
Don’t want to hang a frame, use a sticker instead. Try these Gilt Wall Sticker Frames around your kids artwork. Or, use colored masking tape to create a frame around the artwork on all sides.

Finally, take pictures of your favorite kids artwork and load the pics into a digital frame so you can easily “display” a year’s worth of photos in one small frame.

We’ll have some other unique ideas in our next post. How do you display your kids artwork?

Note: We don’t receive any commission from mentioning products other than the ones we sell at ChocolateCakeClub.com. We just pass the ideas along to you.

You May Also Like:
Organizing Your Kids Artwork
How to Organize the Paperwork Chaos

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Tags: Cool Finds · Help Mom Stay Organized

Create a Graphic of Your Personality

OK, I will admit that this post has nothing to do with Family Fun. Well, maybe it could, so read down below for the Family Fun idea. But IT IS SO COOL, I had to share any way.

If you have a blog or twitter account or any site that has an RSS or Atom feed, go to Woordle right now. Click on Create and then type in your blog address or twitter address and it will automatically make a Word Art Graphic out of the most common phrases it finds in your feed. It’s like a brand cloud. Here’s the graphic generated for Chocolate Cake Moments:

wordle chocolate cake club art

I love it! For me it was a check to see if the words I want associated with my brand and blog stood out clearly and they did. Yeah! I’m doing one thing right at least.

If you don’t have a blog or twitter account but want to make some art, you can also just type in a bunch of words and it will create the art graphic for you.

So, here’s the family fun idea. Have everyone in the family write as many words as they can think of that best describe each family member. If some words or traits are stronger than others, type them in several times. Then create a word graphic of each person in the family. The site is so cool because you can change the color scheme, font and even delete words that really don’t fit the “cloud”. How fun!

If you play around with this, please send me your word art about your blog, twitter account or family member and I’ll post it here.

Have fun with your family this weekend! Sue

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Tags: Cool Finds · Family Fun Ideas

Morning Smile: Coolest Pancakes Ever!

I was lost in the social media click-through haze this morning when I came across a site that made me smile in childish glee. (I can still do that even as a jaded adult.) Jim’s Pancakes is the coolest site about a dad just trying to make some pancakes for his little girl. But, oh, the pancakes he makes. What a cool Dad!

Jim's Pancakes Cheeseburger Pancake Stack

I love the creativity behind the pancakes and admire his dedication to this fun cooking endeavor, but what I love the most is the memory and special moments he is creating with his daughter. What a cool Dad/ Daughter thing to do. Wouldn’t that be a cool tradition to start with your family. Even if you only did it one day a year.

Keep on flipping them ‘jacks, Jim. (Any time you need a tester, count me in.)

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Tags: Cooking with the Kids · Cool Finds · Family Fun Ideas · Holiday Traditions

Chicago Moms! Watch Sex in the City 2 for Charity

Alison at SassyMomintheCity.com told me about a great Moms Night Out Event coming up on June 3rd in Chicago. Cosmos, hors d’eovres, swag bags, and a private showing of the new Sex in the City 2 Movie! And, it benefits the Neighborhood Parents Network. What more could you ask for? There are only a few seats left but grab your Momfriends and plan for a fun night out in the City.

Here are the details:
Join the Sassy Moms Give Back NPN Fundraising Reception hosted at Old Town Social on June 3rd.

Mingle with fellow Sassy Moms and raise awareness for Neighborhood Parents Network while enjoying Absolut Cosmos and gourmet hors d’ oeuvres provided by Old Town Social prior to a private showing of the new Sex and the City 2 movie!

Who will be there? Sassy Moms in Chicago – NPN Members and Non-Members (expectant moms, moms of babies, toddlers and school aged children are welcome!)

Where? Old Town Social and AMC River East 21

When? June 3rd. Reception at Old Town Social – (5:00 – 7:00 PM)
Sex and the City 2 at AMC River East 21 (7:30 pm*) *Movie time is subject to change.

What will it cost? Reception & Movie: $60 per person (roundtrip private transportation will be provided from Old Town Social to AMC River East on 322 East Illinois Street, Chicago IL 60611.)

What will I get? A night out with the girls, cosmos, passed hors d’ oeuvres, swag bag, (1) ticket and entrance to a private theater just for Sassy Moms, private roundtrip transportation to theater and access to fabulous prizes!

Why should I go? Neighborhood Parents Network needs our help raising awareness and funds for their new website launching this fall. The website will be totally revamped, user-friendly and have fabulous new features members have been requesting for years!

Space is limited, reserve your spot today! Click here to register If the event is sold out when you register, please contact Alison Ray at sassymominthecity@gmail.com to be added to the waitlist.

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Tags: Cool Finds · Mom's Night Out

Why Being a Mom is Worth It

christy money shot

Do you ever look at your child and suddenly see them not as your child, but as someone who is going to rock the world? That the world is lucky he or she is here? This is the kind of photo that makes your eyes well up and truly appreciate why you went through all of the pain, nausea, sleepless nights, insecurity, and the extra 10 pounds that won’t go away. I am still astounded that I played a part in creating someone so special, who has the power to make people smile and take their breath away.

To quote one of my favorite artists Brian Andreas from the Storypeople:

She laid on my chest & her breathing filled me almost to beyond what I could hold.

I bought a print with this quote after my little girl was born and she still takes my breath away. I am glad to be a Mom today. (Now my son … he takes my breath away with laughter. I don’t know what is cooler.)

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Mothers and Grandmothers out there. Go have a Chocolate Cake Moment with your children, who make you smile.

Do you have a photo of your child that just takes your breath away? I’d love to see it and share it with everyone. Shoot me an email at sue@chocolatecakeclub.com and I’ll post it.

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Tags: Cool Finds · Parenting Tips

Contest: Win a Friday Night Family Fun Package

This contest is now closed. Thank you for participating and sharing your ideas. Congratulations to Sarah P. who won our Friday Night Family Fun Package!

Our sister site, the Chocolate Cake Club is celebrating it’s 4th Anniversary! To thank you for all of your support, we are giving away some of our top-selling items to lucky winners every four days until the end of April. Our goal is to help you have more fun with your family.

Our first giveaway was for a Playful Chef Kids Cooking Set and Chocolate Mousse Kit. Our second giveaway was for a fabulous Mrs. Smith’s Diaper Bag and Sugarbooger Diaper Bag Organizer Pouches. Perfect for Mother’s Day or an upcoming Baby Shower. So what’s next? For our last contest, we’re featuring a Friday Night Family Fun Package.

One lucky winner will recieve everything needed for a month’s worth of Friday Night Fun with the Family. It’s an $80 prize for you.

ice cream sundae kit

1. You’ll love our Ice Cream Sundae Kit on Movie Night. Read our ideas on how to make your Movie Nights more fun. $25

Beat the Parents Game

2. Enjoy Beat the Parents on Game Night. Read how to Host the Perfect
Family Game Night
. $20

Family Dinner Box of Questions Game

3. Have fun talking and learning more about each other with the Box Girl’s Family Dinner Box of Questions. Read more on Bringing the Family Mealtime Back. $20

Alien Pizza Making Kit

4. Finally, have fun cooking in the kitchen with this Alien Pizza Making Kit where the sauce is purple and the crust turns green. Here are some more ideas on Pizza Night Fun and our Killer Homemade Pizza Recipe. $15

All of the family fun you are going to have? Priceless!

So, how do you enter? Just leave us a comment on this post telling us what you like to do most to have fun with your family. The more details and the more creative, the better.

Don’t forget to include your email address so we can contact you, if you win. We respect your privacy and your email address will never be sold, it’s for contest purposes only. One lucky winner will be chosen at random. Must be 18 or older to enter. Open to U.S. residents only. If winner fails to respond in three days a new winner will be chosen. This contest ends at Midnight CST on Friday, April 30, 2010.

Want even more chances to win? Help us promote the contest:
• “Like Us” on our Chocolate Cake Club or Chocolate Cake Moments Facebook Pages (+ 2 entries)
• Twitter – Tweet about our contest, but make sure you add @ChocCakeMoments to the post (+2 entries)
• Facebook – Add the contest to your Facebook page. Let us know you’ve done so, with the link, in the comments below. (+ 3 entries)
• Blog – Link our contest page to your blog. Let us know you’ve done so, with the link, in the comments below. (+ 3 entries)
• Newsletter – Sign up for the Chocolate Cake Club newsletter here. (+ 2 entries)

Good luck and tell all of your friends to enter!

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Tags: Contests · Cool Finds · Family Fun Ideas

Featured Blog on TodaysMama.com today!

TodaysMama.com Featured Blog

We were so excited to see that we were the featured blog today at TodaysMama.com. I love their content and subscribe to their e-newsletter and so we were all thrilled when we saw our site featured today.

Thank you to all of the wonderful Mamas at TodaysMama.com! We appreciate the shout-out.

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Tags: Cool Finds

The Lightening Thief Movie – It’s a Bolt of Energy!

The family went to see the Lightening Thief movie and we thoroughly enjoyed the electrifying action. I eagerly read all of the books so I was excited about the movie. Why do I love the books? Mostly because they teach you Greek Mythology in a way that is fun and the way that the author ties ADHD into the story with a positive or special spin is very clever. The author, Rick Riordan, treats ADHD like the princess fantasy. You know, the one where you are really a princess from a far away kingdom but were hidden away within a normal, suburban family to protect your life. Someday, they will come for me, … I mean you, and you will rule the land with a kind and fair hand. You know that fantasy, right? Right? (I’m still waiting, by the way, but I have faith that they will come.) Well, if you have ADHD, which I do as you can tell by my rambling narrative, the inability to focus, hyperactivity, and self-centeredness are all because you are the child of a Greek God. It’s too much power for a mere mortal to handle. How cool is that! I’m a princess and a goddess. Anyway, it’s a cool way to make a child feel special instead of down.

The books are a lot of fun for me because I have always wanted to learn more about Greek Mythology and yet every time I picked up the Iliad or the Odyssey I just couldn’t get through it. The Percy Jackson series helped me learn about the famous figures in a clever and action-packed way. While I couldn’t get my son to share my enthusiasm and read the books, he WAS very excited about the movie. (I knew he would love the books, but the Greek names put him off. He couldn’t pronounce them so he got frustrated and stopped reading.) However, now that we have seen the movie, he is interested in reading them with me.

So what did I think of the movie? It was fun. I would recommend it if your kids like action, fantasy stories. The movie is action-packed, loud, fast-paced, energetic, and entertaining. We all liked that. Highlights for my kids were Grover and the Capture the Flag scene. “Mom, how come when we play Capture the Flag at summer camp they won’t let us use swords? It’s so lame the way we play.” Highlights for me were Uma Thurman as Medusa. She was perfect. She makes a curse look cool. The minute we got home from the movie, my daughter had to draw Medusa. What do you think?
Christy's Medusa drawing
My son on the other hand had to get out every sword and shield he could find in the house, because he was electrified into action.

Here are my cautions: I thought it was a little scarier than it really needed to be, but I understand that they are trying to appeal to a larger audience. My kids (ages 10 and 7) absolutely loved the movie but they had their eyes closed and ears covered through a lot of the movie. My daughter is 7 and she enjoyed it but I really wouldn’t recommend bringing any kids younger than that, especially if they get scared by monsters easily.

If you read the books, you’ll be disappointed that they left a lot of the story and the fun characters out. Although, when I read the books I never imagined Chiron to look like Pierce Brosnan. I think that was a bribe for Moms, so that they would agree to take their kids to the movie. Pierce Brosnon as half-horse and half-naked? Grab the popcorn, kids!

There was a “drug” scene in the movie with the Lotus Flowers, although it went completely over my kids’ heads so it wasn’t that big of a deal. Finally, for me, Poseidon was a real wimp in the movie, he is much cooler in the book.

Bottomline though, my family enjoyed the movie very much and the kids can’t wait for the next one. And, if the movie encouraged my kids to now read the books, it’s money well worth spent.

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Tags: Cool Finds · Family Movie Night

Yippee! Today is National Chocolate Cake Day!

Today is a very special day for us for two reasons. First, it’s my son’s birthday. He turned 10 and is in the double digits now. Scary. In 6 more years he is going to be driving and he still can’t tie his shoes properly! I guess we need to hunker down and look into finding a shoe-tying tutor.

star wars birthday greeting

We have a tradition in our house where we set up our kids “guys” or “animals” at the table on the morning of their birthday. Their toys wish them a Happy Birthday and the kids love it. This morning, Star Wars Clones and Jedi wished him a Happy Birthday, while guarding his precious birthday chocolate donut.

clone trooper donut

Today is also a great day because it is National Chocolate Cake Day which for us, is on the same level as Halloween or Valentine’s Day. You know, a day to be celebrated … heavily, and with lots of ooey gooey treats!

Here’s our new favorite recipe for Molten Chocolate Cake, that we found over at the Pioneer Woman site.

Have a favorite recipe for Chocolate Cake or a fun way to celebrate this all important day? Please share! May your day be filled with Chocolate Cake Moments.

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Tags: Cooking with the Kids · Cool Finds · Family Celebrations · Holiday Traditions

New Pizza Exhibit at the Kohl’s Children’s Museum

pizza
We’ve been speaking about Family Pizza Night and Kids Pizza Parties in the past few blog posts, so I thought it was kizmet when I got an email from the Kohl’s Children’s Museum on their new exhibit – Pizza Any Way You Slice It!.

pizza-lifesize
It opens this Monday, January 18th so I haven’t seen it yet but it looks like a lot of fun. Who wouldn’t love an exhibit about pizza? The exhibit focuses on using pizza to teach math concepts like fractions and recipe measurements, so I think it will have appeal for older kids. This might be a perfect outing for either Monday or Tuesday next week when the kids are off for school for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Click here for a $2 discount off of the Admission Price for every member of the family.

pizza-oven

Here’s the Museum exhibit description:

    Learn the basics of math with an incredibly popular food…pizza! Pizza: Any Way You Slice It! encourages playful, open-ended exploration by focusing on three areas: making, delivering and eating pizza. Children are instantly drawn to this exhibit that informally teaches counting, sorting, measuring, gathering, matching, patterning, sequencing, role-playing and sharing.

wooden pizza party set
If you child loved making and playing with pizza, then check out the Wooden Pizza Party Toy, over at our sister site, the Chocolate Cake Club.

Come back next week and let me and others know what you think of the exhibit.
pizza kids

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Tags: Adventures · Cool Finds · Family Fun Ideas

Great Kids Bedtime Story

Once I Ate a Pie
We love bedtime stories in our house. Reading before bed is the most special time of the day for me and my kids. We are always on the hunt for great books to read, especially ones that make us laugh. After our weekly trip to the library, the Kirchner family highly recommends “Once I Ate a Pie” by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest. If you are a dog lover, you’ll definitely be smiling after reading about the 14 dogs in the book, who all have hilarious personalities. The book is written in free verse poetry, which is nice so we can expose the kids to more poetry books. The illustrations by Katy Schneider are fabuloso!

My daughter is a huge fan of Mr. Beefy, the Pug. Check out the book from your library tonight or pick it up at Amazon to read why. (We get no payment from Amazon or the author for recommending the book. We just love it.)
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What are some of your favorite bedtime stories?

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Tags: Cool Finds · Reading with the Kids

How To Throw a Memorable Family Party

Are you hosting Thanksgiving for your family this year? Planning a Holiday Party for the Neighbors? Looking to throw the ultimate Kids Halloween Party? Do you dream of hosting the party that sets the bar for all family parties to come? (Am I the only one who wants to go down in family lore as the best Thanksgiving hostess?) Well, if you are throwing some parties this year, and I hope you are, we have the ultimate resource for you. MemorableEntertaining.com is a wonderful membership site for those who are passionate about creating memorable occasions.
Memorable Entertaining Logo

Debra Kavalos-Delaney is the publisher and boy, does she help make entertaining easy and memorable for busy people like me. I love to entertain but the Holiday season is such a chaotic time with my e-tail business, the kids schedules, and work/ family commitments. I still entertain but find that I don’t have enough time to really plan things out and try new recipes or decorating ideas. In a pinch, I just fall back on the same old same old, which leaves me feeling unsatisfied as a hostess with the mostest.

After cruising around the Memorable Entertaining site, I found all of the inspiration that I need to add some more pizazz to my entertaining. And, it saved me time by having everything planned out for me. Signing up and joining her membership site is better than buying more magazines, or trying to dig through your piles of cookbooks for inspiration. Simply go to the site, pick your theme, and all the information you need is at your fingertips. Even better than the magazines, she has plenty of videos on how to create the ultimate tablescapes, recipes, theme party ideas, and more. The site is a lifesaver.

Kids Halloween Party Decorations
There is plenty of “How To” information and inspiring ideas on everything from how to stock your bar, to creating unique invitations, to finding the best mood music, recipes, and even party games. I was thrilled when Debra asked me to create a Kids Halloween Party for the site. I had so much fun with my kids coming up with ideas on memorable invitations, decorations, activities, recipes, and party goodie bags. Definitely check out how to make Scarrots!

There are a lot of great free resources and ideas on the site but to fully experience the wealth of inspiration (including my Halloween Party write-up, which I modestly think is spooktacular), you’ll need to join. Debra is graciously giving Chocolate Cake Moments readers $10 off of their membership with coupon code 54612941. Sign up for yourself or give the gift of membership to someone you know who loves to entertain.

This Thanksgiving or Holiday Season, knock the socks off of your friends and family with an outstanding party. The awe-inspired look on your mother or sister-in-law’s face is well worth the membership fee.

Tell us, where do you get your ideas for entertaining?

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Tags: Cool Finds · Family Celebrations · Family Party Ideas

Fairies: Some magical reading fun

Reading before bed is still one of our favorite Chocolate Cake Moments as a family. No matter how bad our day was, we all look forward to cleaning up, relaxing on the bed, sharing an adventure, and giggling. We love to read about magic, goofy animals, fun adventures, and kids solving problems. The kids love books that make them laugh. I especially love books with beautiful, fun illustrations. I lust after the talent to draw, which passed me by. Darn you, genetics!

Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies Book
This week we got two books from the library about fairies. The first, The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies by Ammi-Joan Paquette is a beautiful book about how to spot fairies in nature. If your child loves Fairy Houses or hunting for Gnomes, this book is for you. The book mixes photography and cute illustrations of fairies that can be found out in your yard. It give instructions on how and where to look for clues that fairies are around. It will spark the imagination of any child (or magic-loving adult) into building a fairy house, right now! Suited for kids under 10 years old. In a previous post, I talked about making it a Family Tradition to build a fairy house or troll garden. (We love all things magical and non-sensical.)

Gone with the Wand children’s book
The second book is a silly book about a fairy godmother who has lost her mojo. Gone with the Wand by Margie Palatini, is a clever book about reinventing yourself and finding new passion. (OK, maybe the kids won’t get that take-away, but adults will.) The kids will love the richly-colored, silly illustrations by Brian Ajhar, as the Toothfairy helps the Fairy Godmother to discover a new purpose in life. Kids will love her new passion and it is the perfect book to read before tucking into bed. I would say kids 4-10 would appreciate this book most.

Have fun reading! Please share your favorite bedtime stories with us. We are always looking for new books to get at the library. (I think we’ve read almost everything there already. We need help. Really.)

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Tags: Cool Finds · Reading with the Kids

Sun Times Article About Back-to-School Bargains

Sun Times Article Discount Maven Moms
I was very excited to be featured along with 4 other entrepreneurial Moms in a recent Chicago Sun Times article about How To Shop for Back-to-School Bargains. It was a fun interview and I even learned about some cool new websites from the other Mompreneurs.

For example, Jill Cataldo has a blog about couponing tips. She even offers workshops in the Chicagoland area on Super-Couponing. Serena Beltz blogs at ChicSimpleMoms where as she reviews and discovers items that help make life easier for Moms. We love that! Also featured was Aletha Noonan, founder of Peeka Productions, which creates personalized DVD videos and books for babies and children.

Definitely read the article to get some great ideas on how to save money this Back-to-School season, but here are some highlights:

  • Always have your school supplies list with you. You never know when you’ll run into a bargain somewhere.
  • Wait to buy school clothes until after Labor Day. You’ll see more coupons and sales running then.
  • Search online for coupons to your favorite stores.
  • Check second-hand clothes shops or garage sales for kids clothes. Many times, these clothes were never worn and still have the tag on them.
  • Have a neighborhood kids clothes swap.
  • Check out the article and let us know what you think. If you have any additional tips on how to save money for Back-to-School, please share.

    Check out additional budget saving tips here!

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    Tags: Back to School Tips · Cool Finds · Moms Living Out Loud · Parenting Tips

    The Mother Lode Back to School Giveaway

    Yeah! Tamara B. from Cantonment, FL is the winner of our Motherlode Back to School Contest. Congrats, Tamara! We hope this Back to School Season goes super smooth for you.

    This contest is now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered and helped spread the word. We will be announcing the winner of the contest in a few days. Please come back and check the blog often for new contests and advice on how to make family life a little easier.

    Back to school contest

    It’s Back-to-School time and the Chocolate Cake Club and Chocolate Cake Moments Blog want to make one lucky Mom’s life easier with a chance to win $140 worth of Back to School products. The contest winner will receive a Four Peas School Size Backpack with matching Lunch and Supply bags. The winner will also grab a Talking Alarm Clock for the kids, as well as a Mom’s Plan-it Wall Calendar, Engagement Calendar, and Kids Reminder Notes, so that she can be that Mom who’s got it all together. Finally, you will love the momAgenda Kids Chore Chart to keep kids on track with their homework and chores. A prize worth $140.00! Hurry, contest ends August 12th, 2009! (Winner will get to choose the Backpack and Alarm Clock design of their choice.)

    How do I enter, you ask?
    Leave us a comment here by answering this question: What did your school lunch box look like? If you don’t remember, just tell us about a favorite school memory.

    But wait! Want more chances to win? Find out how to get additional entries, complete prize package detials and contest rules on our Mother Lode Back to School Contest Page.

    After you’ve entered the contest, head over to Chocolate Cake Club to check out our cool Back-to-School products or to the blog home page for Back to School tips and ideas on how to get back into the school groove.

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    Tags: Back to School Tips · Contests · Cool Finds

    Art-to-Go, Because Creativity Knows No Boundaries

    My daughter is a prolific artist and it occured to me the other day that the true artiste needs to create when and where the mood strikes her. So, Art-to-Go is a big issue at our house. She creates art by the pound and I always need to have a notebook and pencil with me at all times, just in case. If you have a child like this, let me tell you about some things that have really helped make my life easier.

    We went to a restaurant recently and I had to carry loose white copy paper, a ziploc bag of crayons, two coloring books, and some markers. (Why? Because that’s Mommy’s job, you know, to carry stuff.) My daughter insisted she needed these and she doesn’t like the restaurant supplied coloring pages because they restrict her creativity. That’s what she told me … really. Regardless of the reason, having some art supplies at hand for when you are out of the house is a great way to capture spontaneous creativity and keep kids amused at restaurants, on a plane, at the dentist office, or just at Grandmas.

    Spring Fling Art-to-Go Folio
    While I could have found her a backpack and let her carry her supplies by herself, I gave her one of our new products instead and she loves it. The Art-to-Go Folio Paper and Crayon Sets are one of the cutest kids items you’ll ever see. It is also one of our top selling birthday gifts because kids love them.

    Art-to-go folio open
    Made by a fellow Mom-run business, the Piggy Story, these Art-to-Go Folios contain everything you need to keep your little artist happy when you are out and about or going over to Aunt Nancy’s house. Inside the folios, your child will find 12 crayons and a pad of white paper to create to their hearts content. This solves the “Mommy, why do restaurants only give you 3 colors?” issue. It even folds up like a briefcase, perfectly sized for little hands. Ta Da! Mommy doesn’t have to carry it.

    Dragon Art Backpack
    Older kids may like the Kids Activity BackPacks which are made by the same company, with the same fun designs. These however, include a sturdy backpack so you can add toys to the mix, double-tipped markers, and an activity book with stickers.

    If you want more ideas on ways to keep kids amused while out of the house, check out our Table for Fun post.

    Tell us about your little artist.

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    Tags: Cool Finds · Parenting Tips · Traveling with the Family

    Teach Your Kids the Importance of Giving Back

    We recently found a great site Mom it Forward where they believe that Moms can make a difference and change the world for the better. They have kicked off a pretty cool contest this summer called the Summer of Service (SOS) Challenge. Each week they will post tips on how to make a meaningful difference. Do one of their suggested tips, tell them, and you could win some great prizes. Check out the Challenge here and show your kids how you walk the talk and give back. Even if you don’t participate in the Challenge, we think this is an awesome way to pick up some tips on how to get your kids and your family thinking about giving.

    Mom It Forward Summer of Service Challenge

    My husband and I talk to the kids about giving back but we always need to do more. We do some things as a family like every year we buy a Christmas gift for a needy child from our YMCA Giving Tree. We also donate money to the World Wildlife Fund every Christmas so the kids can get a cool, endangered stuffed animal. We donate our used toys and clothes to charity. By doing these things consistently, they have become a giving tradition in our family. The kids actually ask about when they are coming up.

    Our kids also love one of our Church fundraisers for a local Women’s Shelter. They hand out plastic baby bottles and ask people to fill them with all loose change around the house. Our kids love searching the house for coins to put in the bottle.

    Some of the activities that we are involved in offer some great opportunities to give back to the community. With our son’s Cub Scouts troop we have packed care packages for our troops with Operation Yellow Ribbon. Both of our kids take piano lessons and every year their teacher has the kids perform a Halloween concert at a local nursing home. The residents love to see the kids in their costumes playing music. We have helped to clean up the local forest preserve with my daughter’s Adventure Guides group.

    If you have a hard time thinking of ways to give back, definitely look to see what your Church or kids groups have planned for the summer. Definitely check out the Mom It Forward challenge. What we love about the Mom It Forward suggestions is that they remind us that we should all be practicing more random acts of kindness at home. It’s important to help strangers, but it is also important and really easy to help those we love.

    What do you and your family do to give back to the community. Please share your ideas with us since we are always looking for more.

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    Tags: Contests · Cool Finds · Holiday Traditions · Ideas for family projects

    A Horse is a Horse, is a Horse … Unless It’s a Bike

    Christy with Handlebar Horse
    Thinking about trying to teach a little girl how to ride a bike, either with or without training wheels this summer? Here’s an idea to potentially help the process go smoother.

    We were struggling with getting our daughter motivated to take her training wheels off last summer and it looked like another milestone would pass us by, until we found the Handlebar Horse. Hmm? What is a Handlebar Horse, you ask? This kids bike accessory is the coolest thing since well, bikes, I guess. The set includes a horse head that makes galloping and neighing sounds when you press its ears. It also includes a tail with a wired center so that it sticks out from the bike and “bobs” like a real horse tail when you ride.
    Handlebar Horse package

    Our daughter really liked to ride her bike with the training wheels. However, when we tried to take them off and teach her to ride solo, she fell. It was game over. It reminded us of the Calvin & Hobbes strip when Calvin swears his bike is taunting and stalking him because he was afraid of riding it. She was scared.

    So, when we saw the Handlebar Horse, we thought it was a perfect fit. Our daughter loves horses. No, really. She loves horses. We thought this product would be the perfect motivation to get her “back up on the horse,” so to speak. The Handlebar Horse was a birthday present that she immediately named Jessica and we put on her bike.
    Handlebar Horse on bike

    It’s so easy to install since it uses Velcro strips and elastic straps. It will fit on any kids bike. Well, once we had Jessica ready to go, she learned in two days. It was an equine miracle.

    The funny part is watching people watch her ride. All of the neighbors stopped to ask her about her horse which she proudly showed off. My husband would jog on our local bike trail with my daughter riding alongside and he said everyone would point and rubber neck to look back at the horse.

    More recently, we went to our local Memorial Day parade where my son was marching with the Cub Scouts. The rest of us rode our bikes to meet him at the end of the parade route. There was not a girl watching or marching in the parade who didn’t point and say “Oh, look at that horse!” While it made my husband and I laugh, it made my daughter beam with pride that she was the center of attention.
    Handlebar Horse at Parade

    Want one? Get your Handlebar Horse Bike Accessory here.

    Tell us what motivation you used to get your kids to take a big step in riding their bike.

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    Tags: Cool Finds · Parenting Tips

    How to Get Your Kids out of the House This Summer

    After being cooped up all winter, everybody is anxious to get out and enjoy the outdoors again. Liberated of our heavy winter coats, it’s hard not to feel happier, lighter, and more energetic. The longer days and warmer nights are terrific opportunities to get out of the house and enjoy nature again.

    As a parent with two kids of my own, I’ve discovered that summer can be as challenging for adults as it is liberating for kids. Once the charm of sleeping in wears off, I know it’s not long before I’m hearing the dreaded refrain of “Mommy, I’m bored!” Even if they go to summer day camp, the novelty of an unstructured day will eventually wear off, too.

    In my experience, preparation is the best way to avoid the B-word. With a little creativity and planning, you can stockpile an arsenal of fun activities to throw at your kids before they can even say “bored.” None of these activities should include sitting in front of the computer, video game, or television; the whole idea is to get them outside and enjoying the sunshine while it lasts (giving you a little well-deserved space in the process).

    Here are just a few outdoor activities to get you started:

    1. Invest in the Super Parachute Kids Party Game. Kids love parachutes, and I’ll bet all the neighborhood Moms will love you for having this super-fun game!
    Super Parachute Kids Party Game

    2. Camp out in the backyard – pitch a tent, grab some sleeping bags, pillows, flashlights (and bug spray!). If you have a fire pit, do it up right with some S’mores.

    3. Most libraries have a summer reading program, so take advantage of it. Walk to the local library to check out some fabulous summer reading. Then, set up outdoor reading stations in the backyard with umbrellas, beach towels, and frozen grapes to snack on.

    4. Organize Family or Neighborhood Olympics that includes events like hula hoop competition, 3-legged races, water balloon toss, or egg and spoon races (you can buy an Egg and Spoon Race Game and save yourself an eggy yard or kid).
    Egg and Spoon Race Game

    5. Set up a miniature golf course right in your own backyard. The Mini Golf Set has everything you need to get your toddler’s golf career started (or just to keep the little ones occupied for a few hours).
    Mini Golf Set

    Share your favorite activities that get your kids out of the house and having fun.

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    Tags: Cool Finds · Family Celebrations · Games · Reading with the Kids

    Blog Posts We’d Like to Share

    Some of our good blog-writing Mom friends have sent us links to their recent posts that we felt we just had to share.

    Our friend Jasmine Jafferali, the Chicago Family Health Examiner writer, amused us with her 10 Reasons Why I’ll Never Be The Perfect Mother. As she says, “Here’s to putting fun back into our dysfunctional families.” Hear Hear!

    Jeanne Sager, writer extraordinare for Babble.com’s Droolicious and her own personal blog Inside Out, wrote “It’s Not Swine Flu, Your Kid Has Whine Flu.”

    Finally, here’s a great recipe for a Chocolate Cake Moment that we found while cruising around the web. It’s from the Moms over at MyMommyManual.com. Go ahead and indulge. You deserve it.

    Seen any funny or family fun oriented blog posts recently? Please share!

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    Tags: Cool Finds

    How to Find a Smile Today … Capturing the Little Moments in Your Life

    We saw a great article on the Today’s Mama site by Emily Falconbridge called Capturing the Little Things. We had to share this fun idea to help you get past the frustrations you may have about how cluttered your house looks or how you wish you had new furniture. Read it and see how she easily creates a photo book of the everyday beauty in her house that most of us don’t take the time to see and appreciate. She also create a fun book for her daughter with photos of her favorite things. See the photo below. Check out the article and let us know what you think. I’m going to work on one this weekend.

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    Tags: Cool Finds · Ideas for family projects · Parenting Tips

    Help Your Kids Conquer Their Fear of the Dark – Constellation Nightlights

    When your kids suddenly become afraid of the dark, it becomes a literal nightmare to get them to sleep. While you feel bad that they are scared, you also know that you still have to wash the dishes, walk the dog, pay the bills, talk to your husband, and maybe throw in a load of laundry before calling it a day. You want to help your child but it is very hard to be empathetic when you know that the monster in the closet is really just the cat attacking a fuzz ball. We have tried a variety of products and ideas to help our kids sleep. Some of these ideas work for a week or two while others seem to truly offer comfort. We’ll give you a new idea every few days to help you discover the magic formula for peaceful a bedtime at your house. Try them out and see which ones stick for your kids.

    Twilght Turtle Kids Constellation Night Lightt

    Twilight Turtle or Twilight Ladybug Nightlight – My daughter can’t to to sleep without her “turtley” on. She loves the fact that her turtle friend lights up her room and projects stars on the ceiling. For my son, the Twilight Turtle didn’t make him feel that safe but we had some great bonding time together looking at the “stars.” He and I would lie on his bed and look at the stars, looking for Orion’s Belt and the Little Dipper. It was a nice way to spend some quiet time together before going to sleep.

    See our other ideas on helping kids conquer their fear of the dark using dragons.

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    Tags: Cool Finds · Help Kids Sleep Better · Parenting Tips

    Spring Break Boredom Busters

    Not going anywhere for Spring Break this year? Don’t fret. Here are some fun kids crafts kits and games to keep the kids occupied while they are at home … and give Mom a chance to hang on to her sanity.

    Art Projects
    Get the kids started on some art projects. It gets their creative juices flowing and keeps them away from the TV for awhile. At the Chocolate Cake Club, we carry a few art kits that have a lot of craft materials and project ideas to keep kids busy for days, or at least hours. It will give you some kind of break, trust us.

    Giant Art Supply Jar
    The Giant Art Supply Jar is wonderful because it gives your kids so many different kinds of supplies in one compact, easy-to-put-away plastic jar. My daughter says she hates to do projects at home because all we have is paper and crayons. Well with the art jar, I astounded her with unique art supplies like multi-colored pom poms, glitter pom poms, pipe cleaners, fringed crepe paper, feathers and popsicle sticks. Let the imagination run wild. (Tell your kids to build a diarama and see the glazed look that comes across their face.)

    If your kids can’t think of anything to make, then the Little Hands My Giant Busy Box is ideal. Included are 16 exciting arts & crafts projects for kids in one big box. You’ll have all the supplies needed to make dough animals, sticker art, a collage farm, paper bag puppets, and tissue art projects. This way they won’t be asking you to make one more trip to the craft store to get different supplies. The Busy Box Kit also includes 2 plastic frames, 4 animal punch outs, 10 colors of dough, 2 peel and stick tissue art pictures, tons of tissue paper, glue, and instructions. Whoo Hoo!

    Games
    When your kids’ eyes start to glaze over from playing too much Wii, tell them to play a low-tech game. Here are some that kids like a lot, therefore, they will play them and amuse themselves.

    Monkey Hide 'n Seek Safari Game
    The Monkey Hide ‘n Seek Safari Game is a lot of fun. You can hide the monkey somewhere inside or outside and then your child will use a “magic” wand to find it The wand lights up as your child gets “hotter” or “colder” to finding the monkey. If you have more than one child, have them take turns hiding and finding – letting you get some things done around the house. Older kids get a kick out of seeing who can find the most clever hiding place. It’s also available in a T-Rex Hide ‘n Seek Safari Game.

    The Build a Robot Spinner Game is fun for those rowdy boys who need to slow down for a minute. They’ll have fun with this old-fashioned spinner game trying to get enough pieces to build a funky robot. If your child doesn’t have anyone to play with, he or she can use this game as a puzzle and just build cool looking robots on the floor. How’s that for cool – a game they can still play even if they are alone.

    Kids Cooking Kits
    We think cooking with your kids is one of the best ways to create Chocolate Cake Moments. Not only are you teaching your kids a life skill, but bonding while cooking up some delicious treats is a special time to be close to your kids. Whether you cook with your kids or have them cook with Grandma and Grandpa, they are going to have fun. Here are some kids cooking kits that we just love to heat up some family fun in the kitchen.

    Take a tour of France in your kitchen with the Playful Chef Kids French Cooking Set. All of the tools and recipes you need to make some popular French-inspired dishes are included, as well as fun information about French history, vocabulary and geography. (So your kids minds’ won’t completely atrophy while on Spring Break.) Have fun making Quiche Lorraine for breakfast or Chocolate Mousse for dessert.

    Have all of the kids cooking tools but short on inspiration? Check out the Playful Chef Kids Cookbook for some new recipes that are kid-friendly.

    Baseball’s Spring Training has started so why not celebrate with your baseball-loving kids with the Play Ball Baseball Cookie Kit. Celebrate the beginning of a new Spring Season with some baseball cookies. You can even bake the cookies, while watching a game on TV. This Kids Cooking Kit includes: sugar cookie mix, decorating gel, icing, cutter, and a recipe with instructions.

    So, whether you create fun works of art, play games, or cook up some fun, your kids are sure to be amused this Spring Break … giving us Moms a break as well.

    Do you have any other ideas for Spring Break Boredom Busters? Please share.

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    Tags: Cooking with the Kids · Cool Finds · Fun with Grandma & Grandpa · Games · Spring Family Fun Activities

    Moms, Save Money on Food!

    We recently met another Mom Living Out Loud who impressed us with her dedication to Women’s Health and Wellness. Jasmine Jafferali has an impressive bio in fitness and wellness programs. She holds a B.S. in Exercise Science and a Master’s in Public Health. She is a certified personal trainer, group fitness instructor with the American Council on Exercise and specializes in Women’s Health and Wellness. She authored the Online Professional Certificate in Women’s Exercise Training and Wellness, an interactive Online Web-based Certificate program designed to ensure the development of safe and effective exercise programs for women by personal trainers, allied health/medical and fitness professionals, and the general public. Wow!

    We asked her if we could share some of the great programs and information she has available for women with our readers and she nicely agreed. If you are in the Chicagoland area, she is conducting a workshop on Healthy Moms at Work in the CIGNA office space at 525 W. Monroe, Chicago on Friday, March 13th from 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. If you are interested in attending, send an RSVP email to Bria Day at bria@walkthetalkchicago.org.

    Jasmine also wrote a great article called Eat on a Dime, which shares money-saving tactics for saving on your weekly food purchases. Read it and save.

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    Tags: Cool Finds · Moms Living Out Loud

    Kidwinks – Your Chicagoland Parenting Resource

    For those of you in the Chicagoland area or those who may be traveling there, check out www.kidwinks.com. Created by two incredible Moms, this site is a resource for busy Moms to find information and parent reviews on local attractions, stores, restaurants, and other things to do with kids in and around Chicago. You can sign up for their weekly emails to get the scoop on upcoming activities. One of our favorite features of the site is the Kids Eat Free Calendar. As a busy Mom with an active, on-the-go, nutty family lifestyle, we eat out or grab food on-the-go quite a bit. (Which is why the car looks the way it does.) With the economy as it is, any help we can get with free food is very welcome. You can sort by date or restaurant to find free food for the kids. Yee Haw!

    In fact, the Kidwinks.com Kids Eat Free Calendar will be mentioned in the “For Your Family” segment on WGN News tomorrow, Tuesday, February 24th. Check it out.

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    Tags: Cool Finds · Parenting Tips