MommyDocs Summer Staycation Safety

We usually put all of our extra money into our girls dancing, so vacationing is unfortunately out of the question. Summer is a great time for us to cut down our spending, save up some money & just relax. Of course the kids get pretty bored with that, so we have to find cheap ways to entertain them!

I know with the economy, other families are also taking that approach. Mom Central also knows that, so they got together with the MommyDocs (Clorox) and came up with a list of Five Tips for Summer Staycations to keep your family safe and your house cleaner during the summer months this year.

Staying Safe at BBQs. According to a recent survey, 70 percent of Moms are cooking more at home and many are likely switching up their meal routine with an outdoor BBQ. Make sure your kids have a safe BBQ experience by keeping them away from the flames and any sharp knives. Also, don't forget to check that your child's hamburger is fully cooked. Always keep a thermometer on hand to be sure all food has reached the appropriate inside temperature.

Keep the Pool Cool and Clean. If your kids love to spend hot afternoons in kiddie pools, you know the importance of cleaning the pool area. Dump out water after each session, and keep the pool clean by disinfecting it with a solution of ¾ cup bleach* to one gallon of water. Don't forget to rinse well and dry thoroughly after each cleaning (never leave any water in the pool). Be sure to always supervise children when they are in or around any water. (* Always remember to read and follow precautions and usage directions before using cleaning products)

Staying Healthy and Hydrated. Spending time in the heat means kids will be more prone to becoming dehydrated. Remind kids to take frequent rest/drink breaks in the shade when playing outside and try to avoid activity during peak sun hours. Encourage fluids before, during, and after outside activities.

Having Peace of Mind at Playgrounds. Sometimes just getting out of the house is the best way to keep it clean, but before letting kids loose at the playground, ensure the safety of the equipment. Swing seats and slides can really heat up in the sun – test them out before your kids hop on to avoid burns. Be sure the playground surface is composed of a soft material to help prevent injury. All playground equipment should be routinely checked for any broken or loose parts. As always, adult supervision is a must at all times!

Saving on Spills. Spending extra time around the house, especially with kids, often means more spills to clean up. Synthetic sponges and kitchen cloths can start to smell and carry bacteria, but you don't have to toss them out after a few uses. One option to reduce bacteria is to sanitize sponges and dishrags by soaking them in a bleach solution (¾ cup of bleach* to a gallon of water) for 5 minutes in the sink. Don't forget to rinse and dry when done. A wet sponge can also be microwaved to get rid of bacteria. (* Always remember to read and follow precautions and usage directions before using cleaning products)

Any of you doing the Staycation thing this summer vs traveling? If so, what are you tips?

We have been doing library programs, going to the park & beach. Luckily, we have 3 weeks of dance right now this month & possibly some in August to keep the girls busy. The rest of the time they have been mainly just playing with friends though.

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Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits

Have you gotten into the Guitar Hero craze yet? My brother is obsessed with it & my daughters love it as well.

The makers of Guitar Hero introduced Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits for the Nintendo DS system, a follow-up to the On Tour and Decades games previously released. The game features 28 songs, all radio-edits of modern rock hits from bands including Coldplay, Fall Out Boy, Weezer, The Strokes and Wolfmother. Besides being able to take the game on the road, the Nintendo DS has a wireless feature that allows song streaming and multiplayer modes.

Product Features

• Select from eight characters including two new rockers making their debut on the DS and deck them out with stylish threads and hot guitars and set out to rock.
• Unique, portable gaming experience for the Nintendo DS that utilizes the innovative Guitar Grip and pick-stylus to strum the touch-activated screen to rock out on the go.
• Prove your shredding skills in single player modes including Career, Quick Play or Guitar Hero mode, with new career modes included for Lead Guitar and Bass, or use Practice Mode to nail those tricky solos.
• Multiplayer modes including: Play Face Off, Pro Face off, Co-op and Guitar Duel together utilizing local wireless play.
• Blow into the DS microphone when the touch screen is set on fire in pyrotechnics, or sign an autograph when requested to by an excited fan.

Mom Central sent me Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits to try out. When I first got it, I just set it on the kitchen table. Later my brother walked by and yells out Oh Damn. I was like, oh my god what happened? He yells, you finally got something good to review (LOL) He's like can I have it? Um no, my girls would kill me.

Since they were outside playing all day though, he finally talked me into letting him be the first one to try out. I had to fight him to get the game back a couple days later so my girls could try it. Everyone loved it! This game gets 5 stars in my book!

You can purchase Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits at Amazon along with many other fine retailers.

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Extra Credit: The 7 Things Every College Student Needs to Know About Credit, Debt & Ca$h

If you have a kid about to go into college or even just starting out in college, this is a must read book. Honestly, I think you should pick up this book even earlier, maybe Junior or Senior year!

Extra Credit: The 7 Things Every College Student Needs to Know About Credit, Debt & Ca$h, is a nice, quick easy 83 page for the young adult. It quickly goes over the essentials of money management (credit cards, debit, cash, debt, etc) in an easy to read way. After each of the 12 short chapters, is a question area to fill out that is called Extra Credit.

Product Description
In Extra Credit: The 7 Things Every College Student Needs to Know About Credit, Debt & Ca$h. You'll learn how credit card companies "trick" you into playing their game by their rules and why it's not your fault that you can't beat them... at least until now. Extra Credit is the book that every college student and high school senior should be armed with as they are about to be assaulted by 50 credit card solicitations each semester. Extra Credit should be a mandatory book for all incoming freshman. You will be able to get your first credit card and use your debit card on your own, but nobody taught you how to use them, when to use them, how to balance your account, or how to tell if you are getting ripped off. You'll discover everything that credit card companies don't want you to know and more!

- What's the difference between a credit card and debit card?
- What are the top 10 tricks used by credit card companies?
- How do credit card companies market to college students?
- How do I know when to use a credit card, when to use my debit card or when to use cash?
- How do I get out of debt?
- and much, much more...

About the Author
Bill Pratt is the author of several books on personal finance including Extra Credit: The 7 Things Every College Student Needs to Know About Credit, Debt & Ca$h, The Graduate's Guide to Life and Money and Money Made Simple: A Complete Financial Workbook. His books are written to help students and young adults improve their finances and their lives.
Bill is a former economist for the U.S. federal government and a former Vice President for one of the largest financial institutions in the world. He holds an MBA in finance. He left the financial industry to focus his efforts on helping others understand money.
Bill is the President of Pratt Financial Group and Bill Pratt Seminars. He speaks professionally, focusing primarily on colleges and high schools. He also coaches college students and recent graduates on topics from money to careers. His goal is to help students wade through the endless financial and life decisions they will encounter. By making the best decisions with the right attitude, Bill believes that people will accumulate more wealth faster and will then be able to use that wealth to improve the lives of those around them.

A Girls Must Have ~ The Skirty

I came across this company last year and fell in love. In love, seriously!

I can't believe I didn't review this sooner, I swear I did but I was checking through things & could not find it.

My youngest (just turned 8) wears skirts and dresses all the time. We used to just stick tight shorts under it, but now we only use the Skirty. This thing is so stinkin' cute and functional!

If you have a daughter, niece, granddaughter you have to buy one of these things. They are just adorable on. Normally you can't see it, but at times when my daughter is really playing, you can see the lace and it looks like a nice addition to the outfit.

The Skirty is made by Rebekah Merkle. She makes an adorable line of girls clothes including dresses, shirts, skirts, accessories and of course the skirty!

Her philosophy ~

Amoretti is a company that has grown as an extension of my life. It began with the clothes I design and sew for my own three lovely daughters. I believe that you shouldn't have to choose between beautiful clothes and practical clothes. That dressing up should be easy. That being a lady isn't old fashioned. And that "ladylike" most emphatically does not mean "fussy." And since Amoretti is so tied to my life, you could sum up the design philosophy as good old, down-home, American... but with just a touch of an English accent.

The Skirty comes in a wide range of sizes from 2 - 12. The way it is made, you should get many years out of it. My daughter has had her for awhile now and I can see her wearing it at least another year maybe two. It is 95% cotton, 5% lycra and best of all, made in the USA!

You can also find Rebekah on her blog, The Fortnightly Purse.

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The Pajamas Diaries ~ Flashback to Pregnancy!

THE PAJAMA DIARIES has struck a chord with newspaper readers who relate to the strip’s stressed-out protagonist, Jill Kaplan. Starting July 6, Jill and her husband, Rob, will embark on a funny yet poignant trip down memory lane in a five-week series that tells via flashback the story of Jill’s first pregnancy and the Kaplans’ journey towards impending parenthood. The special series, which runs through August 8, is sure to touch the hearts of many readers who have or are expecting children of their own.

Created by cartoonist Terri Libenson, The Pajama Diaries currently appears in more than 100 newspapers across the country, as well as online at Comics Kingdom™, King Features’ online comics portal. Libenson, a married mother of two daughters, ages 9 and 6, admits that her life at times parallels that of her “Pajama Diaries” alter ego Jill Kaplan.

“With my own children growing quickly before my eyes, I have wanted to do a flashback series like this for a while. While drawing the Mother’s Day-themed strip I recently did that showed Jill in the delivery room as a flashback, I realized the time to do it had arrived,” said Libenson. “The strip’s diary-style format lends itself perfectly to creating a flashback series about the birth of Jill’s first daughter, Amy.”

The series begins with Jill looking through an album of baby photos, which gets her reminiscing with her husband, Rob. “It’s been 10 years since I first got pregnant, can you believe it?,” she says incredulously. From there, the series focuses on the couple as they recall the day when Jill discovers that she is pregnant and follows them as they anxiously await and prepare for the arrival of their first child.

From the life-changing, first sonogram that prompts Jill to rethink her career to the inevitable labor and delivery, Libenson deftly crafts a storyline about the progression of a pregnancy with the warmth, insight and humor that only true experience can inform.

The touching series ends with Jill lovingly looking at her baby daughter as she sleeps peacefully in her crib. In the next panel, the baby has morphed into a sleeping 9-year-old little girl. Jill quietly asks Rob, “How did Amy grow up so fast?” Rob replies, “We blinked.”

If you haven't read the Pajama Diaries yet, you can check out some samples here.

ABOUT THE PAJAMA DIARIES

The Pajama Diaries centers on Jill Kaplan, a young, independent and introspective suburban mother, as she balances her career as a freelance graphic artist and family life with her husband, Rob, and their two young daughters, Amy and Jess. A relatable protagonist who speaks in diary-like first person, Jill narrates her day-to-day adventures in her journal and on a blog. From laundry and carpooling to juggling her freelance work schedule with family obligations, Jill’s diary and blog entries provide readers with an intimate and candid view of modern marriage, work and motherhood.

ABOUT KING FEATURES SYNDICATE

King Features Syndicate is a member of Hearst Entertainment and Syndication Group, which combines Hearst Corporation’s cable network partnerships, television programming activities and newspaper syndication and merchandise licensing operations. King Features is the world’s premier distributor of comics, columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games, distributing in print and online some 150 features to nearly 5,000 newspapers around the globe. It is one of the largest and most experienced organizations in merchandise licensing and entertainment. Among its most beloved and successful classic characters are “Popeye” and “Betty Boop.”

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