Make the most of Hurricane weather - Earth Science for Kids!

As I was searching around the internet for fun ideas to teach my younger daughter more about Hurricanes and the recent weather here in Illinois that has been affected by them, I found this fun website that has tons of great Science Education for kids.

It looks like a great place to find fun information about a variety of things including hurricanes. . .

And additionally has a huge selection of science subjects just perfect for a rainy day, or additional learning for a school project.

This is not a paid post.  I just personally found this website to be fun, informational, educational and one that I will utilize with my 9 year old for weekend or rainy day fun.  Personally I would prefer she be on educational websites like this one than playing Minecraft all day!



**Susan**

Don't Judge this book by it's cover! The Time Garden: A Magical Journey and Coloring Book {review}

A dazzlingly beautiful coloring book for all ages, The Time Garden will sweep you away into a whimsical cuckoo clock–inspired world, created in intricate pen and ink by the internationally best-selling Korean artist Daria Song. 



Journey through the doors of a mysterious cuckoo clock into its inky innerworkings to discover a magical land of clock gears, rooftops, starry skies, and giant flying owls—all ready for you to customize with whatever colors you can dream up.



Cuckoo . . . cuckoo . . . cuckoo . . . When the clock strikes midnight, you’ll wonder, was it all a dream?





The Time Garden features extra-thick craft paper, ideal for non bleed-through coloring, and the jacketed cover with flaps is removable and colorable. Special gold-foil stamping on the cover and spine and a To/From page make it perfect for gifting to adults and kids alike.



Then, explore the magical world outside the clock through the eyes of a fairy in the sequel, The Time Chamber: A Magical Story and Coloring Book!

{Review}

"The Time Garden" is an amazing coloring book created with adults in mind.  This is not your little ones' coloring book!  A beautiful story of a young girl who follows a fairy through a magical clock into a brand new world.  Follow the story from page to page through amazing sketches by artist/author Daria Song.

This book would make a wonderful gift for older kids and adults alike.  It is such a fun and fanciful book with a fun story told through detailed and amazingly artistic sketches that are right there waiting for someone to come along and fill in some color.  All it takes is a little imagination and some sharpened colored pencils to create a whole fantastic world right at your fingertips.

In addition to the fun waiting on each page, coloring can be very relaxing for adults in our stress filled world.  This "Alice in Wonderland" type story combined with all the small detailed areas to color makes for a book that will keep someone occupied for hours and hours.  Don't worry, you don't have to complete each page in one day - it took me a total of 4 days off and on to finish a single page - I even invited my 11 year old budding artist to join me deciding on colors and design ideas and helping fill in much of the page.  It was fun quality time for just the two of us!



I highly recommend this book and others like it as gifts for friends, family or just for yourself!  Check it out -  you can purchase a copy through Amazon or find some in your local stores!

Disclosure: I received free the item(s) mentioned in this post in exchange for my honest review. Regardless ~ All my reviews are my honest and personal opinion. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”.

How Cool Is that! My Kids Shine when riding their bikes with Super Bright Rim Lights #bikelights

What do your kids do when it is too dark to ride their bikes in the evening?  Do they whine? fuss? throw a fit?  I know I do (LOL)  Now they can ride a LITTLE longer with Longer Lasting Rim Lights - plus they just look so darn cool!

• Light up your bike at night with the Speed Racer rim lights - Choose from three different styles


• Motion sensor LED technology ensures durability along with 50,000 hours of lifetime


• Easy to install - simple attach LED wheel flash light to valve stem on bike. Fits almost all bikes.


• Package includes A 3 pack of 2 x green 2 x blue 2 x colorful LED Valve Bike Lights


• Speed Racer is rust resistant, 1100% waterproof and usable through any terrain.

Review:

I would definitely NOT use these as Safety Lights but as an added fun feature on a child (or adult) bike.  And yes, they CAN even be used on cars and trucks for all you Big Kids!



These "Longest Lasting Super Bright Rim Lights" as the description states, arrived in a package of 6.  2 of each color ~ 2 flashing different colors, 2 blue and 2 green.  I was planning to put them on my bike and ride it fast to see if it would look anything like the photo above that is with the product information but my girls vetoed that idea right away.  They both wanted to be the ones to try out these cool new lights, so of course being the Perfect SuperMom that I am (NOT!) I told them that the could (basically I didn't have anyone to work the camera if I rode - LOL)

Unfortunately that was around 5pm and not nearly dark enough that the lights could be seen so we had to wait for . . . ev. . . .er for it to be somewhat dark enough for the video.  Let me know what you think  -



Video after being put on the tire - doesn't take much movement for them to start working:

10 yr old sister's video:

Now, they were easy to put on, and easy to get off - though I recommend some caution as the parts are mostly plastic.  Don't turn to forcefully they could break - just a warning, it did not happen with us.

The one thing I don't like is the type of batteries.  Yes, I know - what else would fit that small of a space but button cell batteries - but they are expensive to replace! I would say for $13.95 on Amazon, when the batteries do die, it would be cheaper less expensive to replace the lights than to purchase new batteries - each light takes 3 button cells.  BUT, the description says they should last 50,000 hours so that means I should basically NEVER have to replace them . . . .in theory.



Overall they are cute and fun to use, but unless you are a speed demon, they won't look like the picture of the whole inner tire turning colors - but they will look cool and get you noticed!

Disclosure: I received free the item(s) mentioned in this post in exchange for my honest review. Regardless ~ All my reviews are my honest and personal opinion. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”.

Check out the new Toy that has everyone excited! Kendama Review & Giveaway #kalebkendamaco

The Kendama is a traditional Japanese toy which consists of the “Ken” (handle) and the “Tama” (ball),  which is connected by a string.  The two extending sides of the kendama are concave cups, with one end smaller than the other. The larger cup is called the ōzara ("big cup") and the smaller cup is called the kozara ("small cup"). There is another, even smaller cup, called the chūzara  ("center cup") at the bottom of the ken. The Kendama tricks are done by variations of juggling the ball in the three cups spiking the ball with the Ken spike, and balancing both in new creative ways. Mastering the Kendama takes practice, focus, patience, and creativity.

So there you have it, readers! The Kendama is anything but a boring toss and catch game…and it goes to show

that sometimes the simplest games (sans lights, batteries, and sound effects) provide the most fun of all. Here’s to hundreds more years of good old fashioned fun with the Kendama.

Review:

All I can say is that the "beginner tricks" are more advanced that I can do - I thought I was doing great being able to "catch" the ball on one of the side cups - I got so excited.  Then, I watched the video on the Kaleb Kendama website and was in awe of the amount of fun tricks that the boys in the video could do.  I definitely am a novice compared to them but still find it fun - more fun even than Yo-Yo or Hacky Sack (yep, I'm showing my age!).



Now, for quality - the Kendama from Kaleb Kendama is solid wood with nice painted swirly surface - striking in style and color - I love the variety and selection of designs available.  After some use there are nicks and scratches in it but nothing that takes away from the look or use of it.  Overall I find it to be of good quality, string in strong and great for many, many hours of play and even better - it comes with a replacement string.  There is a video on the website that shows you how to replace the string step by step.



A fun new game that my 14 year old son, 10 year old daughter and 7 year old daughter all love to try to catch the ball on one of the three different size cups.  Now that we have seen the video of tricks, we are all trying to increase what we can do with our Kendamas and also see who can get a new trick first.



Kendamas are a great way to entertain kiddos, youth and even adults without electronics.  It also gets them up and moving and having fun alone or in a group.  I highly recommend this toy for kids of all ages ~ good for home or travel.  Personally I think it would make a great group activity too!

Now for the FUN - A Giveaway!

Kaleb Kendama has generously offered to provide the followers here on Mom Loves 2 Read with a Giveaway of 4 Kendamas!  4 separate winners will get to choose a Kendama from Kaleb Kendama website of their choice.  Winner must be 18 or older and have a valid US address.  All entries will be validated - winner will have 48 hours to reply and claim prize.

Entry-Form

**Any Bloggers willing to post this giveaway and promote may request the html in exchance for a free link on the giveawaytools form!

Disclosure: I received free the item(s) mentioned in this post in exchange for my honest review. Regardless ~ All my reviews are my honest and personal opinion. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”.

School teacher gets creative with lesson challenging students in a very fun way!

Sorry I've been MIA for so long from my blogging but life and growing children are taking up much more of my "free" time than ever before!  I will keep posting from time to time with new and fun books and authors that I have found to share with  you and occasional random posts just for kicks!



For today I have a very special website to share with all of my faithful readers and friends . . . Backpack-Hiking.weebly.com

My son Josh, who will be 14 this summer, is currently in the 7th grade at our local Jr High School.  His Language Arts teacher assigned his class a 3-part project and he has asked me to share his with you so he can get more views for his website portion as part of his grade (so please take a moment after reading this to stop by and let him know I sent you!)



Part 1 of his project was to come up with a personal challenge of some sort.  Some examples that his classmates chose are: service hours in their  neighborhood, building legos, or personal sports challenges (like improving their score), Josh chose to do Hiking. . . he along with friends and family will walk/hike as many miles as they can each week of the assignment.



Part 2 of his project is to start, work on and update a Weebly website that pertains to the challenge chosen.  His website - http://backpack-hiking.weebly.com/   has information about this assignment, about hiking safety and an ongoing blog updates of the miles that he and friends/family have walked/hiked along with fun facts about different places he is hiking.



Part 3 of his projects consists of doing a fundraising event.  Josh has wisely chosen to combine all three aspects of this assignment into one larger project.  He is raising money by asking friends, family and acquaintances to sponsor his hiking by giving either a donation per mile or a set amount.  ALL money's collected will be used to purchase needed foods for our local food bank . . . **Midwest Food Bank.   Through Midwest Food Bank many local food pantries are stocked that help aid thousands of local families during their time of need.

Now, you might be asking yourself . . . Why is she sharing all this?  What is the purpose?  Is she asking me for money?



The answer is simply this.  As part of this assignment, Josh NEEDS as many people as possible and willing to stop by his website and look around a bit and possibly leave a comment for him.  I'm asking that you, my friends and readers would do this for him.



Am I asking for money?  No, if you want to donate simply email me or him and let us know -  donations are welcome but NOT the purpose of this post . . . as I stated, website visits are highly encouraged and greatly welcome!








**Midwest Food Bank (MFB) - Morton Division is not a direct food pantry that serves individuals. Instead, MFB is a food bank, serving as a distribution center to smaller food banks and food pantries. MFB Morton provides food & disaster relief supplies regionally, nationally, and internationally. In this way, we aim to positively impact as many families as possible.

Upgrading Your Playroom In Style #craft #diy

If I say to you 'the kids playroom', what do you see? 

A cave of abandoned sippy cups, finger painting gone wrong, discarded toys and scribbles on the wall? Wrong. The kids' playroom doesn't need to mean mayhem. With a little creativity and care you can turn this environment from chaotic, into an area where your kids can roam free and express themselves, without taking it out on the wallpaper. While you're at it, you can even help them learn as

they play. Here's a few fun ideas to spruce up the kids' playroom.



Get Creative!



If you're keen for your kids to develop their creative side but minimize the mess then there's a few options to keep both camps happy. Setting up a drawing board and easel encourages budding artists, lets them look and feel the part. So they can get in the zone but keep the painting in one area. Alternatively if you'd like to encourage your kids to personalize their playroom then go all out with drawing-friendly wallpaper. This comes in a variety of styles including those printed with borders and picture frames in a range of sizes. This helps them draw between the lines and create their own 'photos' of friends, family and pets. So they can start their own DIY at an early age!



If that's one step too far then incorporating blackboards and slates into the playroom allows your kids to add their own touch without any permanent damage. This kind of material can be kept to the wall or even a section of flooring so the kids can draw on their own snakes and ladders or hopscotch games with chalk. Adding this material on to storage can also encourage the kids to clean up. For example, chalking labels on to drawers for different items i.e. dolls, crayons and books can help them to learn how to organize their toys and keep the playroom tidy. Alternatively, you could even create a blackboard wall for the kids, meaning endless fun without the worry!

Another option where you can both get involved is sewing. This can turn out to be a lot more fun than it first seems. You can handle the sewing while your kids pitch in with design ideas and pick their favorite colors. You could also choose to invest in a child-friendly sewing machine too so your children can join in entirely and learn a new skill. You can create everything from pillowcases to patchwork style quilts and curtains; with a sewing machine no idea is too big or small.  My girls and I are learning to sew together.  We have a wonderful teacher in their grandmother who sews 18" doll clothes for their American Girl Dolls and other 18" dolls.  She is a great artistic inspiration for our sewing projects.



Another fun way to get creative and crafty is by repurposing items and making them into new and functional things.  My girls and I too this old TV cabinet and turned it into a fun and funky doll clothes wardrobe:

 

Our latest crafty creations use cardboard boxes and empty cereal boxes to create furniture and accessories for the girls doll collection - they have a lot of fun coming up with new and exciting ways to use what normally would be trash to create fun new treasures!



From designing your own interiors to sketching games and pictures, these are just a few ideas to get you inspired to spruce up your kids' playroom. Adding a personal touch whether it's through sewing your own curtains, or customizing storage, will turn the playroom into a place you'll both love.

Image by hownowdesign used under the Creative Commons license.

Disclosure:n Information and links in this post provided in collaboration with travel, tech and fashion representatives. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”.

NestFresh ~ What do you do with your eggs?

NestFresh is a proud member of the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association. We are so excited to have a guest post from them in which they share their favorite egg recipes.

In today’s busy world, we all want tasty, wholesome AND convenient meal solutions. Surprise! The frozen food and dairy aisles offer it all! As an initiative of National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association, which promotes the sales and consumption of

frozen and refrigerated foods, Easy Home Meals came to life as a resource to find simple recipes, easy meal ideas, new product information, tips and much more.

We launched our Easy Home Meals blog this past spring to help you find real solutions for your real life needs. Our Easy Home Meals blog is a place to find recipes, meal ideas, tips and tricks and culinary inspiration—with help from shortcuts from the “cool” aisles of the grocery store.

So, what does that have to do with eggs, you may ask? Eggs are especially important to the Easy Home Meals team for their health benefits and versatility. What we love about eggs is that they’re more than just a breakfast staple. You can incorporate eggs into every meal occasion due to their adaptability! Being an egg-sential part of many food menus, eggs seamlessly fit into a variety of cuisines while maintaining a comfort-food appeal. In 2014, American eateries have seen an increase in dishes that highlight eggs from breakfast to dessert. Because of this trend, 2014 is known as “The Year of the Egg” due to the explosion of egg dishes that go from your average morning omelet to global-inspired lunch and dinner entrées.

Since eggs are an ingredient known for their versatility and nutrition, incorporating them into a variety of dishes works best for those who want delicious and healthy meals. What’s also great is all of the creative possibilities you have with eggs. Between combining eggs with Greek yogurt to make lighter deviled eggs, to topping salads with hard boiled eggs for a protein punch and even having eggs for dinner like the popular steak and eggs dish.

Check out some of our favorite creative recipes using eggs!

Egg-cellent Breakfasts

Tacos aren’t just for lunch or dinner. These Cheesy Egg and Potato Breakfast Tacoscombine cheese, eggs, refrigerated potatoes and refrigerated tortillas for a unique but tasty breakfast!

Think beyond your typical breakfast and use refrigerated biscuit dough to make these delicious Prosciutto and Egg Biscuit Cups!

Egg-tastic Lunches

Combine eggs with sour cream, cottage cheese, noodles, pineapple and a few other ingredients to make this classic European dish known as “kugel” or Pineapple Noodle Pudding!

Cheeseburgers are a lunch staple—take yours to the next level by topping it with a fried egg like in this Cheddar Burger.

Egg-licious Dinners

For those who wish to have a tasty vegetarian option put a unique spin on an Italian classic with Spaghetti with Caramelized Onions and Fried Eggs!

Kick this classic breakfast dish up a notch with spicy cheese and refried beans to make it a dinner— Pepper Jack Huevos and Refried Beans!

Dessert

Eggs are often behind-the-scenes of your most loved desserts—like this Mini Smore Pie!

We also can’t forget this seasonal favorite Eggnog Cheesecake!

WHAT do you like to make with Eggs?  Comment below with your favorite egg dish and/or recipe! 

Disclosure: I received free the item(s) mentioned in this post in exchange for my honest review. Regardless ~ All my reviews are my honest and personal opinion. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”.

Turning Winter Blues into Indoor Fun . . .what to do when it is too cold to play outside (or go to school)

Just received an email from our local Inspired Arts Academy  . . . thought I would share some of these great indoor winter ideas.


  
Some fun things to do on your day
in? 


Dance party in the living room! 
Make art out of food or draw
a still life of fruit! 
Karaoke to your fav song on radio! 
Do
headstands on couch!! 




Some ideas my kids added . . . 





Painting pictures

Playdough fun

Get out tumbling mat and practice tumbling

Practice new cheer moves for Upwards Cheerleading

Play dress up Daisy (our dog)

Read new or old favorite books

Write new stories and make up stories

Make sock puppets out of dad's old socks and put on puppet show

Dress up in all our costumes and have a photo shoot

Dress up dolls and have teaparty

Pretend to be models and wear different styles of clothes . . . play who can make the funnest, funniest, coolest outfit . . .

Do you have any indoor activities you want to share?  Leave your ideas in the comments below!

Join the HUNT ~ The Hunt for Tomorrow Virtual Scavenger Hunt starts SOON

 


 

 THE HUNT FOR TOMORROW


 

22 AUTHORS. 

3 DYSTOPIAN BOXED SETS. 

1 MASSIVE EVENT.


 

A virtual scavenger hunt through twenty-two fictional dystopias.


Friday, July 18 at 6:00pm _(EST) - Sunday, July 20 at 6:00pm _(EST). 

 Join THE HUNT FOR TOMORROW, an on-line scavenger hunt, and embark on a virtual odyssey

through twenty-two dystopian futures. Become an intrepid scavenger and solve clues at each of the dystopian author stops as you navigate your way to the finish line where you’ll be entered into a random draw for the Grand Prize. For each correct answer collected along the way you’ll get an additional chance to win. During The Hunt, the authors will offer up their own exclusive material, sneak peeks, contests, and giveaways at their individual stops on The Hunt, giving all scavengers multiple chances to win bonus prizes. 

The twenty-two participating indie authors include best-selling, award-winning and emerging writers from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom who all have books included in three dystopian boxed sets - - What Tomorrow May Bring, A Taste Of Tomorrow, and Shattered Worlds. 

In a unique collaboration of story-telling, nineteen of the authors will write a progressive short story over nineteen days following The Hunt. The Grand Prize Winner of The Hunt For Tomorrow will name characters and contribute the title for this dystopian world, and all participants in The Hunt will receive an advance copy of the story for an exclusive period before it is made available as a free download. 

The Grand Prize also includes a signed copy of books included in the boxed sets, an ebook of all the boxed sets, and the first copy of this one-of-a-kind progressive story.


 

THE HUNT FOR TOMORROW begins at http://huntfortomorrow.blogspot.com on Friday, July 18 at 6:00pm _(EST) and ends on Sunday, July 20 at 6:00pm _(EST).  

The Hunt is on for one weekend only, although there is no time-limit for completing the course. The Hunt is open to scavengers around the world; there is no cost to enter and one grand prize winner will be selected at random from all eligible entries.


 

Go to THE HUNT FOR TOMORROW for details and the full list of participating authors.


 

JOIN THE HUNT. 

JULY 18-20.


 

 


 


 



Blast Giveaway 

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash 

Ends 7/20/14 

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. 

The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the publisher. 

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway