Jumpin-Beans

How do you plan on keeping memories of your child(ren) School Years? I know that I want to keep a journal or something so that as the years go by, I can add to it...  I think it would be nice to give to Broxton, or his wife, or his kids.. Or maybe for me to keep, who knows... But, I did not know what I would need/want to remember... Then, I saw a website, myschooldays and I knew that was something I should head over to look at.   I was really impressed, as it was just what I was looking for. Lucky for both of us, I get to host a review on one... and a lucky reader gets to win one as well!  The My School Days book is printed on heavy duty paper with bright colors. It has a ring binder (I personally like that, as it makes it easier to turn the page to make it a single paper for writing on... I hate when I have to write on a double page, or I have to bend the book and mess up the binding, this way, all is well in my world! ) The front of the book...

With school starting back up for everyone, it is time to make sure everything is labeled and ready to go...  I was just talking to a friend today about what all needs to be labeled for our little ones when they do start school... You know, Broxton is my first, so I really have no clue about any of this... That being said, I was so excited to have the chance to work with Oliver's Labels for a review (and LUCKY FOR YOU... A GIVEAWAY Too!) I was rather impressed when I went to visit their site... Oliver's Labels seems to have thought of it all. As for their designs, they have cute graphics fro, cupcakes to ninja's... They also offer more basic designs, such as just a letter or a simple color.   I was REALLY happy to see that they also have labels that help to remind caregivers of food allergies. We are lucky so far that Broxton does not have any known allergies, but I can imagine the sense of peace when a parent sees that a company has items such as these when ...

Just a little bit longer and Broxton will be in preschool. I have been highlighting back to school items while I prepare for this "milestone" for us..  Not to long ago, I was on the rubbermaid site and I came across the Rubbermaid Lunchblox . I was curious as to if this would be a great product for him to take him lunch in, so I am glad when the chance arose for me to review them on here for us all to learn more! I thought that they looked like a great way to take a lunch, be it a toddler or an adult...  I was curious as to if they were glass or plastic and have since learned that they are indeed plastic.. BPA free to be exact! You know how your eyes are always bigger than your stomach?  (At least for my family that is sometimes true.. ) Well, when the lunchblox arrived, I was a bit concerned that it would not hold a sandwich without having to squeeze the bread in there... Yeah, I was a fool on that one... I do not know if I have always just pictured bread...

Marc and I have been trying to figure out the right time to put Broxton into a "big boy bed" and with him getting ready to start preschool, we thought it was a perfect time to do so!  He had been in a toddler bed for a bit, but we wanted to make a big deal out of this, as he is growing up!   My parents gave him a twin bed with the drawers underneath it and I was able to look to pick out an awesome bedding set for him!   At first, I was looking online for something for the boys room.  I have a couple idea's in mind (that are some-what in the works...but I still wanted to look at other looks)  I went over to check out the teen bedding sets that Beyond Bedding had and although I loved them...  I did not think it was something that the boys would like... They were super cute sets, just only a couple were what I would think the boys would like, the others seemed to be geared more for girls. That worked out perfect for Broxton, since I was on th...

I am so excited for Broxton to start school soon.  I know I will miss him and it will be harder on me sending my baby off to school than him going to meet new people and learn new things... One of my main concerns right now is that Broxton has a problem listening.  Now, he can hear just fine (hearing test for school showed that was true) He has what my mom likes to call selective hearing.  It must be inherited, as I have it, my brother has it, my parents have it, Marc has it and the other boys do too! When I heard of the Howard B. Wigglebottom books, I was excited to show Broxton that other kids also do no listen, but that they do LEARN to listen.  I want him to know how to listen for several reasons. One, it will make it easier at home for all of us.  Two, it will be easier when we go out in public. Three, he will get more opportunities, if he can show that he can listen! Four, listening will allow him to learn more. Five, by listening, he will allow t...

When thinking of back to school supplies, you need to also remember security. When my brother started college, he had to stay in the dorms his first year.  He did not know his roommate (That would be an issue with me, as I have a HARD time trusting people.) He knew his name and what not, as it was on the paper he got in the mail, but he was not rooming with a friend or anything.  He bought a laptop lock , but I am not sure why... (I liked the idea, but he seems to be the kind of guy that is like "whatever" about EVERYTHING.) I do not know if it was on the suggested "bring to college" list, if my parents told him to, or if he was just being cautious... but I thought it was an awesome idea. I like the ease of it all...  It is a thick metal cable that you place around a stationary object.  You then hook it into your computer.  It is simple to use, but can save you tons of money!  (Think of a bike lock, for your laptop!) The lock has the trusted MAST...

In keeping with my whole Back To School Bash, I get to share with you a pretty cool company that I recently had the chance to work with... Campus Book Rentals . Wow, how the times have changed since my college days...  I know when I was in college, things were so different! Here I go.... Ha ha ha... "Back in my day" we had to go to the book store... Our books were RIDICULOUSLY priced... It was around $100 (sometimes less, most times more) for a single book.  We would use it for the quarter/semester and then when it was time to sell them back, they would only want to pay us like $20-$40 for the book... That they turned around and raised the prices on.  Sometimes we were lucky and we knew a kid taking the class that we could sell our used books to them and try to make back some of the money that we lost... But then you had the whole changing of the books that made ours no longer in use on our campus...  It was always so frustrating, so when my kid brothe...

I never noticed the importance of Probiotics until Broxton was sick one time.  We had just started a "play group" of sorts and he was around kids (and yes, germs....)  He got a nasty bug and I did not know what to do.   It was the middle of the night, so I called the on call nurse and tried to figure out what I needed to do to make my little one "all better."  She asked questions to figure out what was going on, gave me advice and then started telling me that I needed to get probiotics in him. Truth be told, I had no clue what that was, so I had to google to figure it out. Long story short, I took it to be that probiotics are the good bacteria that helps your immune system. It can be found in yogurt and other items, but the sure fire way to know if you have them on hand and ready is to just purchase probiotics to keep in your medicine cabinet. One point when we had the boys, I noticed they were all not feeling well, so I quickly started them on probiotics... Th...

Having a great teacher can really make a difference in the life of a child.  If you think about it, they spend so much time with your kids... and (we hope) that they are positive role models for them to look up to.  I know when I was younger, we would play school from time to time... and we would teach the lesson, grade their work and so forth... If you don't have a teacher that you like, why would you even play a game like that?  I mean, you wouldn't enjoy it, would you?    I am also not just talking about teachers in elementary school...  Nursery school teachers teach about socialization and many other aspects that are ideal for a great learning environment, then you have your school teachers, from Kindergarten to your Senior year... But you then go off to college and you have your "professors" there... They are still teaching you ...  Let's not forget all the homeschooling parents out there...  To me, that is someone special!  I mean, n...

 Now that school is starting back up, there are so many places you will have to be.  Did you know that we all could use a bit of help in sitting to help out backs out?  Yep!  I have had the chance to review a product from BackJoy and I am going to try and tell you a bit about it now...  As a blogger, you know that I am in front of a computer, but I also do other things that puts me sitting down as well... (Driving here there and everywhere... not to mention watching television and / or reading)  With others, you could use it from a desk job to a student... from studying to driving...  So that is an extra plus with the BackJoy... Not only does it help with your back and your posture, it is easy to carry wherever you need it...  I think that a student would enjoy using it when they are doing their homework and studying... It is lightweight and easy to carry, so you can use it while driving to the library, carry it in to use while studying an...

 Whooo Hoooo...  Broxton now has a water bottle of his own, make that a water bottle of his own for when he starts school.   Yes, we have several different water bottles, but I wanted one that was perfect for him to take to school.  I really want him to drink more water, so I am hopeful that this cute thing might work in helping...  We were sent the green one with the owl, isn't it cute?!  I think it could be used with both boys and girls, so that works great for us!   Let me tell you why I like Liberty Bottle Works so much. First of all, they are MADE IN THE USA.  With so many people looking for jobs, it makes me happy to see USA made products, opposed to the products we import from other countries.   Second of all, they are just adorable and come in different styles and sizes. Third reason, they are easy for Broxton to open to drink, but not to spill! Finally, (and could be the most important one)  is the way yo...

With so much negative everywhere, it is nice to be reminded of the good people out there...  I mean, you hear these horrible stories of mass shootings and it makes you scared to leave, but then you hear the story of the good Samaritan (that we heard tonight that stopped to help a stranger out, yet ended up dying in the process...) I do not want Broxton to think that the world is all chocolate milk and candy canes, but I do not want him to think it is full of nothing but bad and evil either...  I want him to know what is around him and to appreciate everything...   I was excited to get a surprise book in the mail, Good People Everywhere...  It starts with " Today, in neighborhoods all over the world, millions and millions of people are doing very good things... " It might not be next door, but there IS good going on... This book tells us that we need to remember that...  From the parents that are working to provide a cooked meal...

I really enjoy working with Free Spirit Publishing. I have been able to review all sorts of books that are not the typical ones you find at the local store. We have had the opportunity to review their latest series, ParentSmart / KidHappy . I thought that these would be great to work with Broxton since we do need to get  more of a stricter schedule with him getting ready to start school.  So, this was the perfect time to read these. Up first:  Ready for the Day. In this book, you have a daddy getting his little girl up to start her day.  As with some kids, she is not eager to get ready for school.  Instead of daddy snapping at her, he kindly tells her that he too wishes he could stay home with her, but that they will have time to play that night and for her to pick out a game for them to look forward to.  He also picks out a couple outfits and has her choose the one that she will wear.  No, he is not giving her complete control, but by giving her ...