If you all are anything like me, you're always searching for ways to make cleaning a little easier - and less toxic, especially with young kids in the house. Which is why when I heard about e-cloth, I knew I had to try this out! I knew my kitchen would definitely put the e-cloth to the test!
If you aren't familiar with them, you can visit their website for a detailed description but let me just tell you, these cloths are more than just efficent cloths, they really are "chemical free cleaning"! All I had to do was wet my cloth, with WATER, and it gave me an amazing, streak-free shine! it even cut through the dirt and grime!
I chose the range & stovetop pack, as well as the stainless steel pack!
I have forever been searching for a product for stainless steel that doesn't leave behind streaks - so far, I haven't found much. I was a bit skeptical that just cloths and water could do the trick, but I was proved wrong!
Here are some before sand after picture of my fridge!
[don't judge me, i have kids!]
and after using the cloths:
[if only it could take away the scuffs and dents, ::sigh::]
the next up to the test was the range & stovetop pack!
my stove top is already damaged from prior abuse so I honestly wasn't expecting much - but I was pleasantly surprised when after using the 2 cloths, my top was shining so beautiful. Like I had waxed it or something! It's so hard to believe that I only used water and 2 clothes to achieve this!
[before]
[after]
I am BEYOND impressed with my cloths. Not only am I keeping dangerous chemicals away from my kids & pets - but I'm saving on buying that crap!
The cloths are machine washable but can be rinsed in warm water for day-to-day use! does it get any easier than that??
If I had to pick just one of these products for my kitchen, I would go with the Range & Stovetop pack! This product also cleans stainless steel so it is pretty much the essential cloth for a kitchen!
Check out all of e-cloths products here! There is pretty much a cloth for any need!
E-Cloth is giving one lucky reader a pack of Range & Stovetop Cloths! The product is so versatile and works great on Ceramic, Stainless Steel, Metal, Glass, Enamel and Plastic! Enter below to win! Winner will be chosen at random by Rafflecopter on Friday!
As I'm sure you know, the rogue poags are HUGE Medieval Times fans! We try to go every couples months. The food is great, the atmosphere amazing and lets face it - it's a place where my boys can act like the boys they are and it's approved! :) Anyway, I wanted to share some exciting December information!
·Special ticket pricing now thru 1/4/15 – Adults $34.95 and Children 12 and under $29.95 – must mention code 34DEC at time of reservation
·New Year’s Eve Family show at 3:30 on 12/31/14 – includes FREE face painting, activity book, story time with our princess and Junior Knight Training -- Purchase Tickets
·New Year’s Eve Extravaganza at 9:30 pm on 12/31/14 – includes champagne or cider toast, balloon drop, music, dancing and continental breakfast -- Purchase Tickets
All of the above mentioned deals are seriously, AMAZING! Treat your kids to a New Years Eve celebration they'll never forget! :)
Interested in visiting the castle before NYE? You're in luck! I'm giving away 4 tickets to any show between December 22nd - December 30th! Enter below!
VTech® has begun working closely with a panel of children’s learning experts on the development of its infant and preschool learning products. Insight from these experts are featured in an online Milestones resource that offers parents guidelines and recommendations to help them select toys based on the individual needs of children from birth to nine years old. The categories explain different characteristics and occurrences that your child is faced with at each specific age and developmental stage, and are then followed by recommended products that the most appropriate and beneficial. The milestones are broken down by age and three categories:
oLanguage and Cognitive
oSocial and Emotional Development
oPhysical and Motor
They also work with Dr. Lise Eliot, an Associate Professor of Neuroscience at The Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science. A Chicago native, she received an A.B. degree from Harvard University, a Ph.D. from Columbia University, and did post-doctoral research at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. In addition to more than 50 published peer-reviewed journal articles and magazine pieces on children’s brain and mental development, Dr. Eliot has authored two books.
You can watch her video below.
Dr. Eliot was kind enough to pick 5 questions (submitted by bloggers from all over) and answer them for us.
Q. As a parent, what are your suggestions on things I can do with my child to help them develop their social and emotional skills? What are ways I can help my child to get the most of their playtime?
A. Social-emotional skills are the bedrock of learning, so good for you for taking an interest in cultivating them in your child. The best way to promote emotional and interpersonal skills is through interaction--reading, singing and lots of talking with your child. Make eye contact with him or her. Laugh together. Direct your child's attention to interesting things in your environment. When you read together, ask your child questions about the characters' thoughts and feelings. This can help build empathy. Another way to think about it is to use books or videos as a stepping stone for dialogue with your child. It's the two-way, back-and-forth sharing of words and feelings that build emotional and communication skills. Playtime has ample opportunity to do this, whether you are visiting the zoo, finger-painting, or playing with toys. Take every opportunity to talk about the feelings and relationships among characters your child is drawing or playing with.
Q. As a stay-at-home mom, I feel like I'm responsible for most of my toddler's learning the first couple of years. How can I ensure that I'm teaching him all he needs to know? What are the best games or play to help him learn basics things like numbers, colors, words, etc.?
A. Children learn through play, so almost any activity is a learning opportunity for your child. Show your child how to count banana slices at lunch time, or toothbrush strokes at bedtime. Read ABC books to him to teach letter sounds and recognition. But don't worry too much about academic skills in younger children. Most important at this age is for children to learn the joy of discovery. Try to avoid drilling exercises (like flashcards) and instead focus on learning about the real world around him--animals, people, vehicles, music, art--whatever you encounter through books or the world outside that excites your child. When kids find a passion and get absorbed in it, early literacy and number skills follow easily.
Q. What if it seems like your child isn't reaching a particular milestone, what can you do to facilitate the learning of it? While every child is different, are there any Milestones (when not achieved on schedule) a parent should be concerned about?
A. It's important for parents to know what milestones to expect, because failure to reach them can be a warning sign of a developmental delay. For social skills, we like to see babies making eye contact early on, and worry if it doesn't happen by 3 months or age, or if s/he is not sharing facial expressions or some other kind of back-and-forth communication by 9 months. For language skills, we worry when children are saying no words by 16 months, or only a few words at 2 years, and when there is any loss of communication ability at any age. For motor skills, it is concerning if a baby cannot bring an object to his or her mouth by 7 months, sit independently by 10 months, or walk by 18 months. If your child isn’t reaching these milestones, talk to your pediatrician, who may propose additional testing and exercises you can do with your child at home to promote his or her development.
Q. My 2 year old (26 months to be exact) barely talks unless she wants to. She has two older siblings who tend to speak for her. She can string a few words together like "me up" or "love you." How can we encourage her to talk more and what VTech products would be most beneficial for her?
A. There's a simple equation to verbal development: "Language in = Language out" The more words you and others address to your child, the larger her own vocabulary will eventually be. You are right that younger children sometimes do have trouble getting a word in edgewise in a big family. Find opportunities when your daughter can be the only one speaking. Try to carve out some one-on-one time, when you are just focused on each other, and make sure to listen and respond to every word or babble she makes, acting as if you understand her. Imitate her words and sounds and offer lots of praise. Just giving your child the confidence that she is being heard will provide great reinforcement to encourage her to speak more.
Also, VTech's infant toys can promote this language development since most produce simple words or phrases that babies love to control. Toys such as Cody The Smart Cub™ and Cora The Smart Cub™ introduce children to first words, emotions, stories, sing-alongs, and more.
Q. How do doctors come up with specific milestones for each age group? What are some milestones for older age groups (up to age 9)?
A. Infant developmental milestones have been cataloged by studying thousands of babies from all walks of life. In healthy children, the various milestones emerge in a predictable sequence and time, give or take a few weeks or months. This predictable pattern is due to the maturation sequence of the developing brain, along with the typical sequence of practice most babies engage in, given their gradually growing strength and coordination. Some milestones you can look for as your child gets older include: able to draw a circle at age 3, asking lots of "Why" questions at age 4, knowing his or her letters at age 5, tying shoes at age 6, reading aloud fluently at age 7, and a big spurt of social independence beginning at 8-9 .
Q. What are some of the benefits of teaching children sign language at a young age to help improved their cognitive, motor and social skills? How can teaching sign language to my child help promote more than language development? How can sign language help stimulate a child’s brain in other ways?
A. The research on sign language is not terribly strong, but enough has been done to indicate that sign language may benefit your child's overall language development. The more words addressed to babies, whether spoken or gestured, the faster their own vocabulary growth. Sign language also has the advantage that it is easier for babies to communicate using simple gestures, compared to oral articulation. So especially in the first year of life, some babies find it easier to communicate their needs when taught simple signs, and may express less frustration than infants who were not exposed to baby signing.
How awesome that VTech has teamed up with such an expert to provide us with toys that are not only just fun, but ones that aid in the development of our young kids!
Now for the FUN part! VTech is providing a Gift Pack containing the three toys displayed below for one of YOU! These toys are SO much fun and have been a huge hit here in the Poag house! :)
Lil’ Critters Play &Dream Musical Piano™
(Ages 0-12 months; MSRP $24.99)
·Learn and play music with animal friends! The Lil’ Critters Play & Dream Musical Piano by VTech has a variety of fun musical activities that engage your child on the floor or attached to the crib.
·This soft piano features five animal piano keys that introduce music, instruments and animals.
·The piano also includes a light-up sun that shines and flashes to the music to attract your baby’s attention.
·Choose from two modes of play for fun learning and music activities.
Roll & Surprise Animal Train™
(Ages 6-36 months; MSRP: $15.99)
·Your little one will enjoy peek-a-boo fun and develop fine motor skills through turn, slide and press activities.
·Animal friends introduce animal names, animal sounds and colors.
·This educational toy also rewards curiosity and teaches cause and effect with pop-up surprises and 55 songs, melodies, sounds, and phrases.
Chomp & Count Dino™
(Ages 12-36 months; MSRP: $19.99)
·Simply place one of the eight brightly-colored play pieces in the dino’s mouth and watch as he eats and recognizes each piece.
·Play in either food or counting mode and the dino responds with rewarding sounds and phrases all while introducing colors, numbers, shapes and more.
·Press the question button and kids can answer the dino’s questions to show what they’ve learned.
·Five shape buttons help kids learn shapes and numbers, while spinning the disc on the dino’s back will play sing-along songs.
·The dino can also be pushed or pulled by a string for even more fun melodies.
I am a Feld Family Ambassador and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you a devised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided me with complimentary tickets to Feld shows and opportunities to attend private Feld Pre-Show events. It seems like the entire world is Frozen obsessed, even over here at the Poag house. It's not surprising to hear one of the boys singing "Let it goooooo" or "The cold never bothered me anywayyyyy" at least once during the day. So, of course everyone wants to go see Disney On Ice: Frozen! Which is also why they've added another show time and I'm giving one of you guys a chance to go see it! The Academy Award® winning tale will be told live for the first time in this production, capturing the dynamic between two royal sisters, Anna and Elsa. Anna, a girl with an extraordinary heart, embarks on an epic journey to find her sister, the magical Elsa, who is determined to remain secluded as she finally feels free to test the limits of her powers. Rugged mountain man Kristoff, his loyal reindeer Sven, the lovable and hilarious snowman Olaf and the mystical trolls help Anna along the way in this story about love conquering fear. Audiences will get to sing along with such musical masterpieces as “Let it Go,” “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” and “Fixer Upper.”
Frozen is coming to the Patriot Center! For ticket sales call 1-800-745-3000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com!
·Wednesday, October 22nd @ 7:00 p.m.
·Thursday, October 23rd @ 7:00 p.m.
·Friday, October 24th @ 10:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
·Saturday, October 25th @ 10:30 a.m. 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
·Sunday, October 26th @ 10:30 a.m. 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
·Monday, October 27th @ 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m
Enter below to win 4 tickets for Monday, October 27th at 3:00pm.
If you're anything like me, you love attending things that are awesome; such as: concerts, anything on Ice and of course, Cirque Du Soleil.
I have seen two previous cirque shows (Kooza and Ovo) and LOVED them. I hadn't had the chance to go back since having kullen so when given the opportunity to visit and review the show, I was estatic! I just KNEW my boys were going to love it!
Amaluna is different than other Cirque shows because it's about women empowerment! (can i get a HECK YES!) The cast is 70% women and the band is 100% women. This is the first time in history of Cirque that this has happened and while we're talking history - it's also the 30th anniversary of Cirque Du Soleil! It truly felt like a magical show!
[cirque encouraged us to take #cirqueselfie during intermission]
The main story line is simple: girl meets boy, boy loves girl, mom doesn't want girl to like boy but nothing can keep them apart! not even a funky lizard-man! ;) The show opens with Cali (the lizard-man) having fun with the audience! He stole a mans popcorn and began eating it and then throwing it back at him! Then he climbed a 'tower' and began throwing popcorn down on the audience below. Kullen absolutely loved that part! A main feature of the show was a huge water bowl. My favorite part was the main character, Miranda, swimming in the bowl and doing some extreme hand balancing while dripping wet!
[cirque du soleil prohibits photography so i wasn't able to get any pictures except during intermission!]
The rest of the show included Uneven Bars, Juggling, Teeterbord and even a women balancing palm leaf ribs! You can check out the entire lineup of acts HERE. my We were invited on Media Night which was truly exciting for me! I was so excited to stay afterwards and mingle with other bloggers and have a Q&A session with Amaluna's publicist Rowenna Dunn. We learned some interesting information and had a great time! Throughout the night, they had screens set up that featured our tweets - my friend Heather was even able to capture me (and my husbands - yeah, he's on twitter!!!) tweet! :)
a super BIG thank you to Cirque for providing tickets for me and the boys to attend the show and stay for Media Night. It's an experience we will never forget! [i was provided tickets for my honest review of the show and all information and opinions are my own] Cirque and Amaluna want you to experience this amazing experience for yourself! They have provided me with FOUR tickets to giveaway to one lucky reader for the August 28th show at 8pm! The giveaway will be open until Aug 25th! Good Luck!
i am SO stoked to be reviewing these super cute mocs!
if you aren't familiar with the brand - Freshly Picked - you are definitely missing out! these toddler shoes are not only adorable; they are durable, well designed and [most importantly] stay on your child's feet! Susan Petersen was featured on ABC's Shark Tank or you may have seen her adorable moccasins floating around the celeb world.
"Susan Petersen started making baby moccasins in 2009 after becoming frustrated by the lack of well-designed baby shoes. Using her second child, Gus, as a mocc-tester, and a bag of scrap leather she picked up at a yard sale, she began experimenting with designs. Working at her kitchen table, on a shoestring budget, Susan persisted through some disastrous attempts until she had created a pair of moccasins that not only looked adorable on Gus’ chubby little feet, but stayed on his feet as well.
Each pair of moccasins, whether being shipped to the rich and famous (or at least their kids), or shipped across town, are made with care, perfection and a love for the little feet they are intended for. We sincerely hope you enjoy our product!"
when i first got them, i couldn't believe how soft they were! and the elastic around the ankle stretches so you can get on the foot but goes back tight to ensure a good fit!
rhys was, of course, in love with the camo color! he loves any type of shoe that he can put on himself so these were a big hit - plus, his brothers didn't have a pair! ;) after seeing how much he loves them, and how cute they are - i think i will definitely be purchasing some more in our future! i can't wait to see how adorable they are in the summer with a pair of shorts!
and i am SO happy they came out with the Camo pattern! most all pictures/reviews that i saw seemed like they were aimed more towards girls so i was excited to get a pair for this review! all in all - my boy loved them and i know yours will too!
[i promise he is happy!]
that being said - i get to give one lucky reader a pair of Mocs of their very own! and YOU get to pick the style! they will be shipped to you directly from Freshly Picked and come in sizes 1-10(baby/toddler)! [disclaimer: i received the Camo moccasins from Freshly Picked to review on my blog. all opinions expressed are my honest ones. winner of this giveaway will be chosen my rafflecopter and i will contact within 24hrs!]
did anyone else notice the owl on the new holiday cups? omg!
♥
on another note - i've come up with a new blog name! and it's NOT one of the ones that i previously mentioned. i came up with it on saturday evening as me and the hubs were watching a movie! he agreed it was a perfect name for my blog in relation to our family! ;]
stay tuned for a blog makeover, including new name and button!
♥
AND - the winner of the Shutterfly 8x8 photobook is Swindy's Stories! thank you SO much everyone for participating! :)
thanks to How Does She - we've been given a HANDFUL of chances to win a Silhouette machine. i have entered COUNTLESS numbers of giveaways for this machine and i'm hoping i might get lucky this time! feel free to go to any of these AMAZING websites and enter for yourself. if you win though, you must make me something! :) don't forget to enter the one going on over at How Does She!
i was contacted by Josh from Giveaway Scout regarding entering my blog on their site and i figured hey, why not?!!!
Giveaway Scout is a giveaway search engine. Our users subscribe to receive updates on the latest giveaways on the web. If your blog is added your giveaways will be exposed to our large network or users. We publish your giveaways on multiple channels (Our web, newsletter, Twitter, Facebook and widget network) Get more exposure to your blog and giveaways.
if you're interested in adding your blog to their site - head on over and sign up!
hey guys :) i'm sure you've seen me mention my friend jessi over at Caterpillar Family before but if not - head on over to her ahhhhh-mazing blog and check her out. ALSO - check our her brand new Etsy store - Caterpillar Family Shop! :) girlfriend is super talented with her crocheting skills and is whipping out these ahhhh-DORABLE toddler hats/beanies like there's no tomorrow! since she's reached FIFTY followers - she is hosting her very FIRST giveaway and i encourage you ALL to head over there and enter it!!! i mean, come on, how AHHHHH-DORABLE is this beanie!??!!!!
Congrats Laura! you didn't leave the link to your blog so thank you for leaving your email address! Kathy will be contacting you shortly to get your order! :)
thank you to Kathy for offering her product for my first giveaway & thank you to everyone who participated!!!! hopefully there will be many more in the future!
this one wasn't hard AT ALL. i can't listen to this song without shedding a tear - usually more than one. the first time i heard this song was after my friend dave died and of course it touched me. i was married and planning a family and unfortunately, he would never know any of that. the song says 'would you chase your dreams, settle down and start a family? i wonder what would you name your babies' - that's the line that always gets me. now that time has passed, the song hits home even more with a family member gone. it kills me to know that people that i love won't get to know me, my family or my child and even worse - they won't have one. but selfishly, you always think about what those people will miss in your life - but this song flips it some and makes you think about what else you will miss in their life, besides the person. anyway - i don't want to go into depth on this one because who wants to be sad ... so, day four - complete.
GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!! kathy over at bwak bwak blog has decided to team up with me in hosting my FIRST giveaway :D kathy is a certified Scentsy consultant and will be giving away 1 Scentsy Plug-In and 3 scents of your choice [unless you are a newbie to Scentsy and aren't sure of the smells - we will pick our three favorites for you!]
kathy has decided to let the winner choose which plug-in system they'd like. visit the plug-in page to see the entire collection and visit the scents page to see all the scents and descriptions.
so, what is Scentsy? for those of you not familiar - Scentsy offers a variety of decorative warmers with wax melted by the heat of a light bulb instead of a traditional wick and flame. so those of you with children - not only are they beautiful and fragrant - they are SAFE! if your little one was to get near your Scentsy and stuck their finger IN the melted wax - it WILL NOT burn them! another safety feature is that the melted wax will never evaporate. meaning that you will never be 'burning' an empty dish! after multiple burns, the wax will no longer be as fragrant so just dump melted wax into the trash and throw another cube in the dish! once you're house is nice and fragrant, turn off the plug and it will harden up again! also - the scents they offer are AMAZING!!! my two favorites are camu-camu and coconut lemon-grass! if you like the smell of something - i guarantee they have something similar if not exact! you can purchase the scents in bar or brick form. the bar contains six cubes [for plug-ins, only one cube is needed for warmers 2-3 cubes] and the brick contains 10 larger cubes.
1. leave me a comment letting me know which warmer and scents you would choose!
for extra entries - 1. go to kath's blog and follow her - come back and let me know you did! 2. shout this giveaway out on ANY social network [blog, twitter, facebook, etc.]
giveaway will be open until Aug. 10th and winner will be chosen by random.org! good luck!! & thanks for participating in my first [of many, hopefully] giveaway! :)
but, as you can tell, from roughly HALF my blog posts, i LOVE giveaways :) i hope to one day host my OWN giveaway but until then, i'll continue to enter and hope to win. and that i did :)
i entered a giveaway over at NYC Island Gal for a beautiful Mosaic Photo Frame from Memories in Mosaics. I browsed Christine's etsy shop and loved all her designs and imagined all these cute mirrors and frames in random places of my house! ;) so, needless to say - i am THRILLED to be the winner. i am even MORE thrilled because of HOW i won it - TWITTER! :D i have to admit, i am somewhat LOST when it comes to twitter. i made an account a year or so ago but rarely used it because i didn't really get it! but, after seeing a few giveaways and realizing you can get extra entries for retweeting the giveaway - i quickly jumped back on and got my extra entry on :D and it paid off!!! HORRRAYYY twitter! haha!
so, i'm not just posting this to brag ;) BUUUUUT to encourage you all to enter some giveaways and make the most of your blogging. not only are you getting something for FREE - you are able to support home-made crafts (majority of the time) and get the word out about their product. so when people come to my house and see my cute mosaic picture frame and asked where i got it - i can refer them to Memories in Mosaics :)
anyway - thanks SO much to Island Gal and Memories in Mosaics for this awesome win! :D
as you know, from my previous blogs - I WANT A SILHOUETTE! i am determined to win one of these beauts and in order to do so - i am exhausting every chance possible! :D i am a faithful follower of thrifty decor chic and absolutely love her blog - and now i love her even more for giving me a chance to win the silhouette! sooo - go follow her, tell her i sent ya - and enter to win - but as always, if you win - i'm stealing it!! :D
man, i couldn't imagine how estatic i would be if i won this giveaway!!! the funny thing is - i'm pretty sure my nana bought one of these two years ago on black friday and i giggled at her for buying yet anotherrr gadget just because it was on sale ... now i'm mad that i didn't pick one up! hopefully i'll be lucky enough to win this giveaway :)
i am SOOOOOO in love with the Vintage Pearl - in fact, i believe it was one of the first blogs that i started following. I have entered SO many giveaways trying to win something from them, but haven't had luck yet. so, why stop now! if you're interested in a good blog and an AWESOME giveaway - check out a little of this, a little of that and more importantly check out her vintage pearl giveaway!!! good luck to everyone! especially me! i swear, if i don't win a giveaway here soon - i am just going to give in and buy myself that 'our family nest' necklace! :D check out the vintage pearl store!
