If you missed last week’s Old Navy coupon this one is for the whole family (even Spot)!

Take 30% off your Old Navy purchase. Plus when you spend $100 or more, get FREE SHIPPING. Enter SAVE30 at checkout. Offer valid 7/26/10-7/27/10.

Free Shipping on Everything with purchase of $49 or more (up to $25 value, video game hardware, software and accessories excluded) at Toysrus.com. Offer good 7.18.10 to 8.14.10

Toysrus.com One Day Sale-sational Cyber Event! Save up to 20% off dolls, scooters, gym set and more! Offer good 7.26.10 only!

Free Shipping on Everything with purchase of $49 or more (up to a $25 value, accessories, video game hardware & software are excluded) at Babiesrus.com. Offer good 7.18.10 to 8.14.10

One Day Sale-sational Cyber Event! Save up to 20% off car seats, strollers, clothing more! Offer good 7.26.10 only!

This one is just for the adults! I love that I can stay on trend without dipping into the kid’s money for activities or worrying if someone smears peanut butter all over my new top. Hey, I’m a mom. Marshmallow Fluff happens.

Get 30% off any Adult Old Navy purchase of $100 or more. Enter code ONADULT30 at checkout. Offer starts 7/23/10 and ends 7/25/10.

Too many of our nation’s children, however, do not have the pencils, backpacks, notebooks, and other basic essentials that help them succeed academically.  Embarrassed to be seen as unprepared or forgetful, some of these kids may simply not show up.

As a former classroom teacher, I know that there are a lot of dedicated, professional educators who dip into their own, relatively small, salaries to pay for supplies for their classrooms.  While we are happy to do this for the students we consider “our children”, over time, lack of supplies puts additional strain on a profession already known for its high turnover.

Elmer’s is partnering with Adopt-A-Classroom to Bag It Forward and help make a difference in classrooms across the country.

As a paid ambassador for the Bag It Forward project, Elmer’s gave me $100 to shop at Walmart for school supplies for my daughter and for a family in need. My family decided to use all $100 (and combine it with the efforts of my local moms’ group) to create backpacks filled with supplies for ten children of enlisted soldiers in my husband’s national guard unit.

You can help, too, by giving out virtual bags of school supplies to your favorite blogging pals.

Because I knew awesome National Guard wife, Mommy CPA (aka Katy Jane), back when my husband was active duty, I want to give her a virtual bag of school supplies and challenge her to “bag it forward” with a post of her own.

At Mamanista we believe that giving is always in style!

Disclosure: As a paid ambassador for Elmer’s Bag It Forward, I am receiving compensation for representing this campaign and contributing to the BagItForward.org site. I also received a Walmart Gift Card to buy supplies for a family in need. All opinions expressed are always my own.

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Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom with your participation. Join now!

ELMER’S VIRTUAL BAG IT FORWARD RULES

• Copy and paste these rules into your blog post.
• Create a blog post giving a “virtual bag of school supplies” to other bloggers or write about your Back to School shopping trip at Walmart.
• Link back to the person who gave you a bag of school supplies.
• Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
• Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there.
• Elmer’s is donating $10 for each blog participating in the Virtual Bag It Forward Donation to Adopt-A-Classroom (up to total of $10,000 for blog posts written by August 12, 2010).
• Please note that only one blog post per blog url will count towards the donation.

Receive an ADDITIONAL 25% OFF all sale merchandise at Robeez.com with code EXTRA25.

Guidecraft makes beautiful wooden multicultural family figurines that reflect the diversity around us.

Both my preschooler and toddler, as well as visiting kindergartners and school-aged children engage in creative, pro-social play with these chunky blocks for hours on end.

My toddler appreciates that they are easy to grasp and that they will stand unsupported.  The older kids enjoy the detailed designs and like to make up stories about each person and have the dolls interact as friends and family.

There are four families with six people in each family–giving your children a variety of open-ended play possibilities.  These blocks are perfect for classrooms, homeschoolers, and daycare centers.

We love that our children have toys that mirror the multicultural friendship groups we’ve formed.  My children are at an age where they view differences in size and gender as more relevant in identification than skin color.  My son picks up the African-American man and proudly shouts, “Daddy”, even though his father is very fair-skinned.  By playing with these block figurines, my kids continue to see the similarities–which hopefully with adult guidance will translate into an appreciation of our shared humanity.

Children love to play with dolls and figurines because it gives flight to their imaginations, allows them to work through new feelings and situations, and helps them process the events of their day.

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WANT IT: Visit the Guidecraft site to find this Multicultural Family Kit ($65) or check your favorite school supply store or catalogue.

Since my little boy looks up to his big sister, it was only a matter of time before he wanted to play with all of her toys, including the dolls.  So we got him a Corolle doll to call his own: the charming Blue Suce-Pouce in soft blue footie koala pajamas.

He loves giving kisses to his “baby”, just like his Daddy cares for him.  Little boys love to emulate their fathers and playing with a baby doll is another example of how they look up to the male role models in his life.  I’ve noticed that he does play with the doll a little differently than his sister, preferring to zoom it around in a stroller rather than dressing it in different outfits.

No matter how they play, children learn “pro-social” skills from interacting with dolls.  Caring for a “baby” can help a child become a more compassionate and empathetic adult.  And a baby doll is a perfect gift to teach a child how to play more gently with a new sibling.  Dolls also help children role-play new situations and process the events in their lives, easing anxiety.

Dolls are perfect for the type of open-ended and positive play that helps children grow developmentally.

Does your little guy show a nurturing side like the men in his life?

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WANT IT: Blue Suce-Pouce, Blue/Green Stroller, and Blue-Striped Set.

WIN IT: In honor of Father’s Day, Corolle is offering one lucky winner a Blue Suce-Pouce; Blue/Green Stroller; and Blue-Striped Set ($113 Total ARV).

• Entry One: Simply comment on this post with your child’s favorite classic baby doll accessory from Corolle (besides the blue/green sling) and how that item would help your child “nurture his baby doll”.
• Entry Two: Fan (“Like”) Corolle AND Mamanista on Facebook and comment to let us know.
• Entry Three: Share a link to this contest (http://ow.ly/1ZoyQ) on Twitter, your blog, or any public social networking site where you are permitted to do so and leave a separate comment with the URL where we can find your post.

Winner chosen at Random. US Shipping Only. Contest ends June 25, 11:59 PM EST.

Consumers have been asked to immediately stop using the glasses. According to the AP, McDonald’s said it would post instructions on its website next week regarding refunds.

Despite my reservations, I still found myself buying some. A month ago, I had to drive to three different stores to find a pack of Silly Bands that my goddaughters wanted because so many places were sold out. (I love them so much that I’ll even buy them overpriced rubber bands!)  I heard stories about kids selling “rare” Silly Bands to their peers for a $1 a band or more.  And the kids I know do seem really happy to wear and trade their Silly Bands, so perhaps there is something to this craze.

If your kids are crazy for Silly Bands, you could save money by buying your Silly Bands wholesale at a fraction of the retail cost. You’d be the most popular mom on the block if you gave these away as birthday goodie bags. And I’d imagine that Silly Bands would be a great fundraiser for your child’s swim or sports team since buying them wholesale gives you a very nice margin.   

Get wholesale Silly Rubberband Bracelets from DollarDays.com!  For $50.16, you can get 24 12-packs of Silly Bands. For $204.48, you can get 144 12-packs of Silly Bands. This is a lot of money to spend on Silly Bands, but you could divide the cost with some other savvy parents. As long as your visiting the site, check out the wholesale school supplies and backpacks. If you plan ahead now for the September Back-to-School season, you can get some great deals.