My 1st Mommy Party ~ Winnie the Pooh & Oral-B Stages

by Carrie Wells, Ed.D.
I was so excited to host the Oral-B Stages MommyParties event at my house! We scheduled it for Monday, November 28th from 6 - 8 pm. It was a pajama party, so the children came dressed in their PJs with their blankets. I got all of the bags organized the day before. Each bag contained an Oral-B toothbrush (either Stage I or Stage II depending upon the child's age), a tube of Oral-B toothpaste featuring Disney characters, Disney baby wash, coupons, a fact sheet, and a balloon!

We had a total of 8 children attend. The party began with introductions, as not everyone knew each other. We sat around in a circle with the kids and talked about the flash cards we were given. Most of the children were able to identify toothbrush, toothpaste, and apple, but none of the children knew "dentist" so we talked about the role of a dentist. The mommies all discussed how they get their children to brush their teeth. Some children love to brush their teeth while others require some sort of incentive.

After our discussion, each child was given a container of popcorn and they sat on the couch to watch the Winnie the Pooh movie together.

When the Winnie the Pooh movie ended, we passed out the goodie bags. The children really enjoyed receiving "presents."

The children ended the party by hugging one another and saying "Goodnight!" Everyone had a blast! This was a great way to get the children to socialize with one another while the mommies watched them and chatted. The night ended with everyone ready to brush their teeth and go to bed!

If you would like to learn more about MommyParties, please visit their Facebook page.

You can learn more about Oral-B on Facebook and twitter.

*I was chosen by MomSelect and Oral-B to host this party. I received free products to keep and to distribute to my guests. All opinions expressed are honest and provided without monetary compensation.

As the carols began playing at the mall...

by Carrie Wells, Ed.D.
We decided it was holiday time in our home! One of the first things I do at the start of each month is switch out the books in our bookcase so that they match the new theme.

Then I placed new holiday items in our Discovery Bin. Lydia really loved the small cat dressed as a reindeer that plays music.

Then we made a handprint Christmas tree. This project really got Lydia using a lot of language. She described each pom pom we placed on the tree by telling me the color and size (little/big).

We were supposed to get a tree this weekend, but we got caught up doing other things, so we'll definitely have to get it one day this week. I'm excited to put up all of the decorations...and make some new ones!

Melissa & Doug Cyber Monday Giveaways!

Cyber Monday is Giveaway Monday on Melissa & Doug's Facebook Fan Page!

“LIKE” us on Facebook to be eligible to win! Answer the active giveaway’s question, to enter that giveaway. At least one random entrant will be chosen to win each giveaway.

JOIN US BEGINNING at 8am EST for the FIRST GIVEAWAY…OUR TRAIN TABLE!

We’ll be giving away terrific educational toys from 8am EST, right up until midnight!

Check out Melissa & Doug's Terrific Twenty Holiday Toys to see some of the great prizes we’ll be giving away!

Giveaway event ends midnight EST 11/28/11.

Guidecraft Educator GIVEAWAY ~ Three Sets of Blocks

I am so excited to be hosting this awesome giveaway just in time for Christmas! This giveaway is for three different sets of beautifully-colored wooden blocks:

Sand Blocks (RV $32)     Rainbow Blocks (RV $25)     Crystal Bead Blocks (RV $32)

The blocks come in a variety of shapes and colors. They can be used together as they are all about the same size. We often divide toys into "girl toys" and "boy toys," but classic building blocks are perfect for boys and girls! Blocks are great for preschool classroom use and home use. Playing with these Guidecraft blocks allows your children to explore their creativity while working on critical fine motor skills. Children can create different patterns. They could collaborate to build a structure together or play independently. Block play also allows children to incorporate lots of other toys. Blocks can be a farm for small animal figures, a castle for princess dolls, or a fort for soldiers. Young children begin to understand cause and effect relationships as they build different structures and knock them down. All three sets of blocks are durable and can easily be stored in a large lidded container for easy clean up.

Lydia loves to build structures and knock them down!

Lydia built a house.

She added different people & animals.

She loved knocking that one down...

...and starting all over!

But Lydia's favorite thing to do is use the rainbow blocks
as colored glasses!

BUY IT! You can purchase your own set of Guidecraft Blocks for your home or classroom. Guidecraft also sells mirrored blocks and shimmering water blocks.

WIN IT! What's great about this Guidecraft Educator group is that each month, one of us will be hosting the giveaway of a product that we have all reviewed. I am hosting the giveaway this month. Just look at how you can quickly enter below!  (This contest is open to the US and Canada.)

 * I received the aforementioned product for free to review. The opinions expressed are honest and provided without monetary compensation.

Wordless Wednesday - Happy Thanksgiving!

Hartstrings 20% off Black Friday Sale

Harstrings is having a great Black Friday sale ~ 20% off everything on the website (even sale items!) Harstrings makes beautiful boys' and girls' clothing in infant, toddler, and children sizes.

Here are some of my favorite items:

 To learn more about the Black Friday sale and to view all of their amazing clothes, CLICK HERE! 

Gallery Direct Review

I joined a recent twitter party, and the topic of conversation was Extreme Makeover - Home Edition. The episode was about a family who had children with autism. The makeover team did a great job creating a sensory room, bedrooms, and outdoor play area to accommodate the children's needs. During the party, Gallery Direct gave out several $100 prizes, and I was fortunate enough to be a recipient. The $100 prize was a credit to their website to purchase anything I wanted...but what did I want?

I decided to go with wall art for Bryce's room since he had one completely blank wall. There were lots of works of art to choose from - classic to modern, pop art to impressionism. Something for everyone! I wanted to stick with the outer space theme, so I chose Van Gogh's Starry Night. The bold colors are perfect for a child's room. They have several options to choose from in terms of materials to print on - canvas, wood, paper, mirror, acrylic, and aluminum. For something different and to capture a cool space look, I decided to get an image printed on aluminum. The great thing about this website is that although they may seem a bit high-end at first, they have so many great sales. I just happened to purchase my print on a day that they had 33% off and free shipping. Great deal! Our artwork was quickly printed and shipped within just days.

We hung it on the wall yesterday, and it looks beautiful against the bright blue wall color. What a great addition to Bryce's outer space room!

To learn more about Gallery Direct, you can visit their website or follow on twitter.