Aidan's Class Rocked! Fundraising for The Center For Courageous Kids

Spring Break is here and we are super psyched!!  Everyone is super excited.....(except for parents of multiples, maybe! Lol😛💭

On a serious note.....ACIC #AidansSchool absolutely rocked at raising donations for The Center for Courageous Kids.  Our total exceeded last year's by $520, bringing this year's total to......$4020.00!!!!!  WOW!  That is so amazing!!!!!

Thank you all so much for helping support such a wonderful cause!

 

Top 3 classroom winners are:  Miller--$1062

                                            N. Francis--$555.75

                                            Turner--$485

All classes will get an extra recess, with Miller's class receiving ice cream and a free bowling party at CCK.

  All 5th grade classes will also be touring CCK sometime after spring break.  Those dates have yet to be set.

Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend!

I See Me Personalized Lunch Box

Stylish Southern Mama received these products for review. All opinions are our own. 100% ;)

Adisyn received the all too adorable All-A-Flutter-Butterflies Personalized Lunch Box.

"She'll be all-a-flutter with excitement when she sees her name personalized on this darling little lunch box!"

This personalized lunchbox from I See Me is incredibly cute and super durable. It is the absolute perfect size for me to pack Adisyn's lunch for school and field trips.

I love the metal design and the fact that it's super durable and reliable. I don't have to worry that she is gonna smash her lunch before it's been eaten or her accidentally breaking the lunchbox.

As a busy mom I also love it's convenience and easy to clean design. I can just wipe it clean when something has been spilled or leaked. No sticky icky leftover mess. It can be wiped out or stuck in the dish water with your other dishes.

The inside of the lunchbox is super neat and incredibly thoughtful. It has the unique feature of including a chalkboard within the lid of the lunchbox. I really liked this! ! I love to write Adisyn notes or drawings each day as I pack her lunch. She loves writing me a note back, it's become a daily ritual for us. ☺

Adisyn adores this lunchbox, she loves the fact that it has her very unique name written on both the sides and front of the lunchbox. Her name is unique and has to be custom ordered, so when she seen her name she went bonkers. .lol.  She's infatuated, love at first sight.. lol. Pink is her favorite color and she loves the butterflies.

There are many designs to choose from on the website, so I'm sure you'll find something they'll like!

XO ☆Jess

Thanks to I See Me & Stylish Southern Mama readers.

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Winter Lunch Finds for Kids

StylishSouthernMama 

Winter is coming, warmers up with these amazing lunch products and ideas!!

Perfect for toting school lunches, ISeeMe offers fun personalized lunch boxes that come in a variety of designs for kids. Plus, the adorable name stickers are perfect to keep track of belongings. I See Me also offers personalized books, great for getting kids in the reading spirit as they gear up for school. www.ISeeMe.com

All-A-Flutter-Butterflies Personalized Lunch Box Review coming soon!

No more wasteful Ziploc baggies in daily lunches, Bumkins reusable snack bags come in fun prints kids will love. Choose from DC Comics, Dr. Seuss, Disney and much more.  The bags are a great alternative to plastic bags and are made of an easy wipe, waterproof fabric. www.bumkins.com

Chooze reversible lunch boxes allow children to express themselves and use their creativity to select a design they love. The “Choozepack” lunchbox comes in comes over a dozen colorful designs with two distinct patterns, letting kids pick daily! www.mychooze.com

Also read: 》》☆
50 Tips and Tricks for Packing Great School Lunches

Thanks for reading!!
XO Jess☆

Kohl's Cares - Help Kids Get Back-to-School Ready

Get your littles back-to-school ready with the newest Kohl’s Cares collection featuring Clifford The Big Red Dog, °available now through September.

Kohls Cares has brought back a big red favorite of mine for the 2016 back-to-school season. I remember reading and watching Clifford when I was little, and now I get to share Clifford + his friends with Aidan + Adisyn!

The collection includes a backpack, creativity kit, toys, and hard covered books to promote summer reading. 

Books and soft toys featured in the Kohl’s Cares back-to-school collection include:

•Clifford’s ABC book, Clifford Takes a Trip book and Clifford soft toy

•Clifford Goes to Kindergarten book and Emily Elizabeth soft toy

•Clifford and the Missing Beach Ball book, T-Bone soft toy and Cleo soft toy

•The Scrambled States of America book

•Clifford Backpack

°Crayola kit

The charming stories of the larger-than-life canine focus on kindness and send a positive message to young readers.

√The Scambked States of America is an amazing book!  With the super imaginative story, the pop-art illustrations, and amazing little characters keep kids interested and inside the book! What an amazing way to learn about the states!

√The Clifford and Cleo stuffed animals are super adorable. For $5 who could beat that? And 100% proceeds go to helping others!

Parents can also feel good about purchasing the pieces that are priced at only $5 each, with 100 percent of the net profit benefiting children’s health initiatives nationwide.

-----

{ To date, Kohl's has raised nearly $300 million through the Kohl’s Cares merchandise program. To reinforce the company’s commitment to children’s health, Kohl’s has donated financial support to hospitals across the country. The donations fund hospital outreach programs focused on children’s health initiatives and address the specific issues needed most in each hospital’s community. These tailored programs provide vital resources to families at no cost and include topics such as injury prevention, asthma awareness, dental care, and fitness.}

Xoxo
-Jess

Slip These Shoes On and Your Kid Will Be the Star of the Party!

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post.

Whether you're planning to attend a baby shower or throw one, or you're already starting to think about the holidays, Lili Collection will make shopping for the lovely little lady or dapper dude a cinch!

Lili Collection offers adorable soft-sole shoes in genuine leather that are just as comfortable as they are cute! In addition to the wide variety of boots and moccasins that are already a huge hit with tots and their parents, Lili Collection has just added new oxfords and loafers to the collection, which are sure to be a popular choice this holiday season! These trendy and colorful shoes will look great for all those family photo shoots and gatherings.

 

Available in great colors like Lipstick Red, Mac & Cheese Yellow, or even a gorgeous glimmering gold, they will not only help your little one rock around the Christmas tree in perfect holiday style, but they will keep them comfortable all day!

All of Lili Collection’s shoes are made in the USA and are only made from the highest quality materials.

Review to come..

 

Importance of Reading with your Child from an Early Age

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post

Princess Cupcake Jone's is the perfect book for any child at any age. We all know reading to our kids is a good thing—but are you familiar with the specific advantages your toddler or preschool-age child can receive by being exposed to the merits of reading? Below are some benefits that highlight the importance of reading to your child between the ages of two and five.

1. A stronger relationship with you. ​Snuggling up with a book lets the two of you slow down and recaptures that sweet, cuddly time you enjoyed when he was a baby. Instead of being seen as a chore or a task, reading will become a nurturing activity that will bring the two of you closer together.
2. Academic excellence. One of the primary benefits of reading to toddlers and preschoolers is a higher aptitude for learning in general. Numerous studies have shown that students who are exposed to reading before preschool are more likely to do well in all facets of formal education.
3. Better communication skills. When you spend time reading to toddlers, they’ll be much more likely to express themselves and relate to others in a healthy way. By witnessing the interactions between the characters in the books you read, as well as the contact with you during story time, your child is gaining valuable communication skills.
4. Enhanced concentration and discipline. Toddlers may initially squirm and become distracted during story time, but eventually they’ll learn to stay put for the duration of the book. Along with reading comprehension comes a stronger self-discipline, longer attention span, and better memory retention, all of which will serve your child well when she enters school.
5. The knowledge that reading is fun! Early reading for toddlers helps them view books as an indulgence, not a chore. Kids who are exposed to reading are much more likely to choose books over video games,

Alongside writing Prince Cupcake Jones and the Missing Tutu & Princess Cupcake Jones Won't Go To School books, Ylleya also created children’s products to enhance the magic of each story. These items include Princess Cupcake Jones plush dolls, tutus, t-shirts, book bags and gift baskets which can all be purchased on their interactive website www.princesscupcakejones.com/shop.

One Step Ahead 2-in-1 Easel Desk

Disclosure: Items mentioned in this post were sent for review purposes only; all opinions are 100% honest.

My kids love anything that has to do with creating. They could paint, draw, color, and craft for hours at a time. Aidan loves to draw and write, while Adisyn prefers to color. Now they can do both with the One Step Ahead 2-in-1 Easel Desk.

There are so amazing things to love about this desk. The first is the colorful unique design. Most desks are made of just plain wood, which lacks personality. This one has a bright orange color.
                      

The dry erase part comes with 2 dry erase markers- black and blue and an eraser. I love that they now have their own small space to learn, draw, and grow their super-amazing imaginations.They can sit and do their homework, play school, or just hang out and write.

 

I love that it also has an attachment rod at the top that holds rolls of paper. The paper can be flipped either way- towards the easel or towards the desk. Of course this is a sanity saver for me. Anybody with more than one child knows what it’s like to have kids arguing because “mommy Adi isn’t taking turns” or “mommy Aidan won’t share”. Now there isn’t a sharing issue. One can use the chalkboard while one writes or colors on the paper.

                  

The easel has a chalkboard on one side. Below the chalkboard are 6 colorful baskets to sort and organize their art and craft supplies. There are two rods that hold the baskets in place, with 3 baskets to a row. Since there are two rows with 3 baskets, each of my kids get their own row with 3 variety colored baskets. 



The Easel/chalkboard part of the desk is accompanied with packs of chalk both colored and white as well as an eraser. I really loved that One Step Ahead really thought of everything! They made it so much easier on me, because they wanted to draw and write immediately after the desk was put together. What a bummer it would have been to tell them I didn’t have any chalk.


The bench-style seat that comes with the desk also doubles as a storage space. Adisyn and Aidan use it as their hiding hole, storing their toys. I think it would be a cute place to store books and larger craft supplies that won’t fit in the buckets.

This desk/easel isn’t only a sanity saver, but a space saver as well. Although we have a 3 bedroom house, the rooms are on the small side after the regular furniture. I love that this doesn’t take up much space. They have plenty space to move around and play.

Winter weather is here, which means more time spent indoor. My kids love spending time outside, but they can’t stay out there very long. This gives them a space of their own to while away the time on the days that it’s just too darn cold to play outside.

This is the perfect gift that combines playing with a love of learning. This is definitely not a gift that will easily be tossed aside and forgotten about in a week. Aidan, Adisyn, and my niece Dezi all absolutely love the desk. Whoever you get this for will certainly be thanking you for a long time.

Get it: One Step Ahead 2-in-1 Easel Desk.


Connect with OneStepAhead
Facebook &  Pinterest

Why would you love this desk?

Juice in the Box- Reusable Juice Box

Disclosure: The items were provided for review purposes only; all opinions are completely my own and 100% honest.

As moms, we put a lot of consideration into what we are packing in our kids lunches. We plan ahead so that they are getting the right amount of protein, fruits, and veggies. Most kids are picky, so by the time the lunches are made; the drinks are an afterthought. Usually it’s a juice box or juice pouch, right?

We don’t have to stress over how much sugar and calories our kids are consuming in their drinks anymore. The Juice in the Box Reusable Juice Box let us have total and complete control, while also saving money. Not to mention it saves so many juice pouches and boxes from being tossed in the trash. Juice in the Box addresses these environmental, financial and social concerns with their innovative, cost-effective and fun new alternative to single-use juice containers.

 

This juice box can completely replace traditional disposable juice boxes and pouches. The disposable juice drinks are a huge problem for the earth when thrown away. Every one that’s tossed takes 300 years to dispose, which is absolutely horrifying. The worst part is that nearly 4 billion disposable juices are drank each year. That’s a VERY good reason to say good-bye.

They are the perfect size to fit in their lunchboxes (they take snacks daily). They are also made of very strong material that is very high quality. They are basically almost indestructible. When you’re a mom, indestructible is a VERY good thing lol. They haven’t dropped it yet, thankfully.

Did you know that traditional juices are also a leading cause in obesity problems in children? The extra calories they are consuming from these drinks put extra weight because of the amount of sugar within. You control what goes IN these boxes, so there’s absolutely no worries of preservatives or tons of sugar in the ingredients.

I love the thought of being able to fill the boxes and not have to worry about leaks. There was one instance (in the last month) where it leaked in my son’s backpack. It was totally my fault, though. I thought I had pressed the lid all the way down, but I didn’t. To be able to close it, you close it with the top open so the extra air inside the boxes can be released. It pushed the lid back open and spilled. AGAIN- that was MY fault, not the juice boxes fault. (Because my daughter’s has never spilled EVER).

The boxes are super easy to clean (3 pieces: container, lid & straw). I hand-wash our boxes, but they can easily be stuck in the top rack of a dishwasher as well. The straw is removable at the bottom, making it easy to stick under running water and push the liquids out. This is also what makes it replaceable if the straw is ever lost or damaged.

It comes in five fun-filled colors – green, orange, pink, red and blue. Get them at the Juice in the Box website.

Connect with Precidio Design online:

Twitter, Facebook, & Pinterest

Guest Post: 8 Rainy Day Ideas To Cure Boredom Blues

Gloomy weather can ruin even the happiest of moods. Ward off boredom (and insanity) for both you and your kids with fun activities that will keep them from feeling cooped up.

In order to cure children’s boredom, have these stashed in your back pocket for the next rainy day so that the dreary weather will not dampen their spirits:

1. Build A Fort

Not only will children be occupied with the task of building a fort, they will be entertained for hours playing inside of something that is not part of their everyday life. In fact, be prepared that they might want to sleep in it.

And, if created near a TV, have a lazy movie date underneath the fort. Bring out the popcorn and juice, pop on a movie, and relax.

For anyone without TV, prepare ahead of time for the rainy day, and use http://www.saveontvdirect.com/ to find an inexpensive package.

2. Have An Indoor Treasure Hunt

Keep a child’s day lively with a treasure hunt. Create a few clues the children have to solve in order to find the final treasure. Once they find it, have a prize ready they can cash in on. Whether it is actual cash or some chocolate coins, the kids will love it either way.

3. Baking Day

Although this entails a messy kitchen, spending the day making delicious treats will keep even the liveliest of children entertained. Not only family bonding and hands on activity, it also yields a tasty end result that kids will absolutely love.

4. Arts And Crafts

Have special arts and crafts set-aside specifically for rainy days. Fun stamps, glitter pens, stickers, or special markers that are only used during rainy days can provide hours of entertainment especially for those who enjoy art projects. Because these craft tools are special, children will actually look forward to rainy days instead of dreading them.

5. Camp Inside (Or Outside)

For pop-up or small dome tents, it is easy to set up camp for your kids indoors. Do campfire activities such as picnicking inside of the tent, eating s’mores, and telling stories.

For the more adventurous folks, set up a waterproof tent outside where kids can experience the rain without getting wet or muddy.

6. Mad Libs

Spend the afternoon coming up with your best noun, verb, or adjective to create the most hilarious, sidesplitting stories. Easy to find and easy to play, the kids will love competing with each other over whose story was funnier.

7. Contests

With multiple children, providing some sort of contest is generally a good rule of thumb. They will be interested in winning and beating out their sibling that they will have no time to be bored. Whether it is a marshmallow-catching contest or water balloon contest, the kids will put forth their full energy.

8. Host A Tea Party

Boys will not be as into this, but girls will enjoy having grown up tea and dainty sandwiches, bring their make believe tea parties to life.

So, for the next rainy day, be sure to utilize these ideas and curb any boredom your child throws your way.

Image Source: www.whattoexpect.co

Adora Dolls: 20” Fou-Fou Fab Baby Doll Review

My daughter, like any little girl absolutely adores baby dolls. When I contacted Adora Dolls for a review I was excited when they emailed me back with a big “YES, of course!” I was ecstatic. My daughter means the world to me, and I wanted her to have something that would mean the world to her as well. I KNEW she would be deliriously happy when she seen what would be coming for her in the mail.


Adora makes a huge variety of dolls; of all hair color, eye color, and beautifully made outfits. I love the consideration and thought that they put into designing each doll. They really want each of their “little” customers to have the most giant smile plastered on their face from the very beginning. Each doll has it’s own style and is exclusive to “that” doll.

Adisyn ended up getting the Adora Fou-Fou Fab 20” Baby. The doll is absolutely precious with it’s auburn hair and bright blue eyes. The eyes are absolutely breathtaking with their gorgeous sky blue eyes. The eyes look so real, they are so captivating! They are hand set and are surrounded by hand painted details and eyelashes.

She has brilliant, luxurious short auburn hair that is secured in two pigtails wrapped in tiny silk light blue ribbons. She is a 20” doll and comes with her very own birth certificate so that whoever receives her can have the pleasure of naming her themselves!

As soon as I opened the box I could immediately smell baby powder. That is a special touch that only an amazing company would think of doing! Making her THAT more realistic by creating that natural baby smell! I placed her back in the box and patiently waited for my daughter to get home from school.

We checked her backpack for homework and then I took her into her bedroom and showed her the box that contained her baby. “What’s in the box mommy?” I told her that I got her a present for being awesome at school and she definitely has been. She is a natural leader, she listens extremely well, she cares about her classmates, and tries her hardest to learn! I am so proud of my little girl!


The baby is weighted so it feels like an actual baby! How cool is that? I don’t think I’ve seen her love anything more. You see Adisyn, you see the baby. She packs it everywhere with her. I love that it is dressed in a light colored pastel blue cardigan over a flower dress. She has matching shoes and bows, light weight capris under the dress and even a diaper!


She takes the baby to bed with her and acts like she is putting her to sleep. I think that’s so adorable! When she gets out of school, she finds the doll and constantly packs her around! She takes off it’s sweater and shoes when she lays it down so she can make it “comfy” she says!

Every since the doll came in the mail, she’s look at me countless times and said in her sweet little voice “Thank you Mommy, for getting me this baby.” She even lays her down with her when she gets out of school and watches cartoons.

Just the smile on her face brightens my day! AND there has been tons more smiles around here since getting the Adora doll.


Connect with Adora Dolls online:
Facebook and Twitter

Order Out of Chaos Academic Planner Review: Manage Your Time This School year!

Can you say that you’re an organized person? I’d love to be able to sit here and tell you that I am. Guess what, it wouldn’t be the truth though. I run around like a chicken with it’s head cut off most days. I have this to do, that to do, post this, schedule that, and it’s hectic!

I can solemnly promise that I have good intentions, that I MEAN to be organized, that I try. If you seen my desk and workspace you’d laugh or run away one. I have a ton of books, binders, paper, and review items just randomly placed. I tend to get it all cleaned up, reviewed, the giveaways posted.. but more just keeps piling up.

With everything I have to do, it’s just SO hard on me to remember EVERYTHING. Taking care of 2 kids, cleaning and taking care of the house, cooking, and laundry. Writing and Promoting 2 separate blogs and a home business, Social Media, and maintaining my blog traffic. Chaos? Of course!


My son was diagnosed with ADHD just this past year. I could already see it coming before it did. He was having continuing trouble concentrating, listening, and paying attention. It was seriously declining how much he was learning because he couldn’t stay focused.

The 2013 School year is already upon us, how this happened I’m not sure. Time sure has flown by this summer. Within 2 weeks my son is going to be a first grader, and then a week later my daughter will start preschool.

I needed to find a way to successfully organize my schedule and theirs. If I’m not organized, how can I teach my children to be organized? This Order Out of Chaos Academic Planner is perfect for any student or mom who desperately needs to organize school work, work, or just life in general.

Leslie Josel launched Order Out of Chaos® in 2004 after her son was diagnosed with ADHD, Executive Dysfunction and other learning differences. Originally focusing her practice on working with the chronically disorganized (ADHD, students with learning challenges, hoarding behaviors); she expanded her business in 2008 to include relocation and downsizing services. Read more about Leslie here.
She was an organizer WAY before it was a career for her. Do it’s only right to say that she knows how to plan, manage, and organize. She does in fact, know her stuff. As soon as I opened the package with the Order Out of Chaos Academic Planner, I automatically knew that this was the BEST planner I’d ever seen.

I haven’t had the chance to fill it all out yet, because the school year isn’t here yet. It’s hard to miss due dates, speeches, tests, or quizzes when they are written out in plain view for the student to see. I am using my planner for my life, blogs, and kids.

The tabs you see on the left that I have written on (Kids, Stylish Southern Mama, Home) that is shown no matter what page you’re on. I love that. I can use this all year without having to change anything. I can write down if the kids have a class party, need something for school, what they are learning that week, or whatever!
I can also keep up with my 2 blogs. I’ve left a tab blank below each of them in case it runs over.. I do have a long to-do list for both my blogs.. and this is the best way! I’ve also put the first tab at the top for MY personal use and what I received in the mail that day (for blog purposes). That way if I have a doctor appointment (which I do on Monday), I won’t miss it!
I love that there is also an afterschool part! School work/ Regular work doesn’t end at 3. There’s homework, extra activities after school, and such. I have to admit that I CLEARLY fell in love with this planner.
Of course, I’ve had MILLIONS of different planners, agendas, and blank notebooks I turned into planners trying to make it easier to personalize to me. It was truly hard though. If you want to create a schedule with a regular planner you have to take the time and go through EACH day and write the same thing a million times.
That’s the reason this is so brilliant. I can see the “tabs” no matter what week it is. I didn’t have to waste time and go through each day/week/month and write home, school, this blog, home, that blog. It is all drawn out for me!
Not only that, but regular planners do NOT have much space AT all to write ANYTHING. It isn’t broken down like this one is. They are usually broken down by morning, afternoon, and night. If something isn’t written out CLEARLY for me, it’s easy for me to skip past it and forget!

You can see a video that Leslie put together, highlighting all the features of the Academic Planner.

Special Features

A customizable index page at the front of the planner enables students to record their class subjects (7 subject boxes) only once. Eliminates forgetfulness and frustration.
Weekly planner pages line up on a subject-by-subject basis, creating an easy method for students to record and review their weekly schedules.
Days of the week are listed horizontally across the planner, allowing students to quickly see assignments and due dates and creating continuity that is critical to developing time management skills.
Includes space to enter after-school activities and weekend commitments, allowing students to PLAN their weekly workload.
The unique grid system quickly reveals both scheduled and available blocks of time, facilitating weekly time management and planning strategies.
Larger size pages (7” x 11” interior pages) allow for more room to write assignments and appointments.
NEW FEATURE! Handy vinyl back pocket holds notes, slips and other necessary papers.
NEW FEATURE! Three-hole punching allows for easy placement in binders.
NEW FEATURE! Durable laminated covers and sturdy spiral binding stands up to students’ school bags and lockers.
Based on a school calendar (August to July).
OPTIONAL FEATURE: Add an Academic Planner PageMarkerto help your student quickly find his or her place.

Get yourself organized!

Order Out of Chaos Academic Planner is only $19!
I swear this could be worth WAY more, it relieves SO much stress, worry, and time spent procrastinating!
Connect with Leslie online:
Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube


-Jessica Renee