Do you know a teen girl who is a fabulous singer?  If so, you may want to encourage her to send in an audition video to TheTalentShow.com.  The executive producers of Gossip Girl, Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars are looking for female singers, 16-24 to audition for Talent – a hot new web series debuting early 2011. Winners will receive a lead role in Talent and a recording contract with Jive Records! Girls can submit their audition videos here through September 28th.

Throughout the contest, fans everywhere can rate the auditions to ensure their favorite contestants are top ranked. Each week, one standout performer will be featured in the coveted “Spotlight of the Week” position.

On October 6th, 20 semi-finalists will be announced who will vie for six exclusive spots to participate in “Talent: The Casting Call.”  The six finalists will use their music and acting craft to stay alive throughout the reality series to become Alloy Entertainment and Jive Records’ top Talent.  The winner will head to Hollywood for a lead role in Talent the scripted web series and receive a recording contract with Jive Records.

This is an interesting story… today’s news announced that Target stores will soon begin selling gift cards for Facebook.  These gift cards can then be used to purchase virtual products for games on the world’s most popular social networking site.  Beginning September 5, 2010, customers can buy a gift card in increments of $15, $25, and $50 to be used on Facebook.

I don’t know what to think about this one…  I mean, I guess it’s a good thing, but I’ve never spent any money on Facebook so I didn’t really realize that there was a market for something like this.  But it is a good idea for a stocking stuffer for the kids this year… but not really because kids shouldn’t be spending a lot of time on Facebook right?  I can’t decide on this, any thoughts?

Did you see this article in USA Today that discussed how baby carrots will be part of  a new marketing campaign strategy?  The nation’s biggest producer of baby carrots is planning on using ultra cool and colorful packaging, nifty slogans, and strategic placement in school vending machines to encourage kids to buy and eat the crunchy snack.  I personally think this idea is FABULOUS and I wonder why no one thought of it sooner.  Hopefully, this trend will continue with other veggies too…

photo credit: RambergMediaImages

For today’s Money Monday, I thought I’d share a tip that I spoke about in one of my recent podcasts.  It’s all about an easy, yet effective way to budget your money, and it’s even easy for your kids to do it too!  This podcast recording is only about four minutes long.  Let me know what you think and enjoy!

Easy way to budget podcast.

If you’d like to hear more podcasts from this show, check out the show blog at BetterMomShow.com.

I actually found this offer a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to make sure it was valid first before I shared it.  The Armstrong Flag Company is offering free 3 x 5 made in the U.S.A. outdoor American flags.  The only requirement is that you become a fan on their Facebook page and then complete the offer.  I have to tell you though, that the “free” flag offer does require a $6.95 shipping fee… so it’s not completely free, but the opportunity to get a really nice flag for less than ten bucks is still a pretty good deal to me.  If you’re interested in getting your own flag, check out the Facebook giveaway page on the Armstrong Flag website.

My free flag from the Armstrong Flag Co.

In the picture, my mom is holding the flag and you can see my little guy standing in front of it… that should give you a pretty good idea of how big it is and how easy it is to display.  If you order a flag for yourself or your family, let me know what you think when you get it.

If you’re looking for a cute and clever way to send a unique gift, check out TubularGreetings.com.  I think these are the neatest little things and would be perfect for any occasion.  LOVE IT!!!

*Disclaimer: A complimentary sample of this item was sent in exchange for an honest opinion and review.  No other form of compensation was received.

This week there have been several news articles about parents “friending” their kids on Facebook.  What I don’t understand is why this is even an issue.  One article states that approximately 75 percent of parents are “friends” with their kids on various social networking sites, but that many are still worried that they don’t know everything their kids are doing online.  Really…?

What happened to the days of parents taking control of their kids online activities and not having to question what kids are doing and with whom?  I just don’t get why so many parents are afraid to tell their kids “no” for so many things.  This seems to be a reflection of their offline principles as well.  Again, too many parents try to be “friends” with their kids in life because they think that is the way to build a relationship and have open communication.  The problem is that this approach rarely works and causes many kids to be disrespectful toward their parents and other types of authority.  I am no child expert, but until parents get enough courage to really be a parent, this issue of being “friends” with your kids is really a waste of time.

I believe that kids and teens should be monitored when using the computer.  Filters need to be installed and parents need to educate themselves about safety and internet security.  But see, I think that this is where the problem really is:  parents are too lazy or too wrapped up in their own lives to do what’s necessary to control their kids online behaviors.  It’s just much easier to give the kids a computer and lock them in their rooms.  Well, we will all pay a price for this negligence.  This generation of kids are being exposed to inappropriate things that will shape their lives and their long-term view of the world.  And when kids view the world without guidance or discretion, a whole list of other problems begin to take precedence.

Tutor in a Book: Better Grades as Easy as 1-2-3

Since the kids are going back to school, I thought now would be a great time to share a resource that I found to be extremely helpful for parents.  It’s a new book titled “Tutor in a Book: Better Grades as Easy as 1-2-3″ by Alexandra Mayzler.  This book is a practical guide of information, tips, and ideas to help parents assist their children in learning according to the child’s unique personality and learning style.  The emphasis is on organization, time management, and study skills, as each of these components contribute greatly to a child’s overall success in school.  Loaded with exercises and real-life stories, this books really equips parents with the tools they need to support their children in every aspect of learning.

One of the most interesting things I discovered about the book is how much of it is applicable to homeschooling.  The different worksheets offer guidance for goal setting, scheduling, brainstorming, and even how to assess knowledge and progress.

If you are a parent who is interested in taking a hands-on approach in helping your child to be his or her best in school, then this book is an invaluable tool to assist you in that mission.  I highly recommend it to parents of homeschoolers as well for some useful and helpful tips to encourage good habits that will last a lifetime.

If you’d like more information about tutors or tutoring services, visit Thinking Caps Tutoring.

*Disclaimer: A complimentary sample of this book was provided in exchange for an honest opinion and review.  No other form of compensation was received.

Even though my little one is still too young to officially start school, I decided to take part in this fun blog tour.  It begins the week of September 6 and is open to any and all bloggers who are interested in participating.  The way it works is that everyone will post anything they want that is related to “Back to School” during that week.  Then each blogger will link up her post on Living My MoMent to be eligible to win a bunch of cool prizes.  The tour is open to any and all blogs, so as long as the sites are appropriate, anyone can join in.  Blogs will be linked on The Work at Home Woman site as well.  Prizes will be given out each day during the tour.  For more information, read the full post here.  If you do decide to participate, I look forward to seeing ya there!

Apparently, AOL has developed this new thing that allows parents to monitor their kids while they’re online.  The only problem is that the kids have to agree to be monitored… WHAT??!  Here’s an excerpt:

“AOL, in partnership with SocialShield, is launching AOL SafeSocial, a $9.99-per-month service that lets parents monitor their kids’ online activities without having to be a “friend.”

The service doesn’t work in stealth mode. In fact, kids have to agree to be monitored. But once a kid does agree, the parents get to see what the child posts and who their kid’s online friends are.”

Ok, so if the only way this can work is if kids agree to be monitored then that is really dumb.  If a kid knows he or she is being watched, then of course they won’t do anything “bad” or crazy.  I don’t know about this and I think AOL really missed the mark with this one.  I actually think this is a very stupid tool because it’s not very helpful or useful to parents…

Read the full article here.