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As a Mom and having an almost six year old, I am now in the space trying to determine which movies (theatre and DVD’s) are appropriate for my son to watch. This can be difficult because the marketing for movies are so enticing during television commercial. All kids get excited about seeing these shows. BUT, it is our responsibility as parents to research and review which shows are appropriate for our kids.

This is how I am going about it:

1. I am using Commonsense Media to see which movies they recommend for my son. This site does a review based on content that is age appropriate for movies, DVD’s, apps, websites, TV shows, books and music.

2. I get reviews and recommendations from other parents about how they feel about certain films

3. I know my child and his comprehension level and ability to be influenced by media to determine if that is something for him

4. I have learned what the movie ratings really mean (see below)

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If I already didn’t love Melissa and Doug…I am now in love with them. As a proud Melissa and Doug blogger, I am happy to announce their Special Needs Toy Guide and how you can use their fabulous toys for therapy for many children.

The Special Needs Toy Guide allows you to:

• View products by developmental need
• Get Play ideas
• Read expert advice on adding skill building fun to playtime
• Share with others via email or within your social networks

Melissa and Doug explores Special Needs on their blog and Facebook Fan Page. This information is very relevant for those parents or teachers who have children with special needs. I highly recommend that their Special Needs Toy Guide is worth reviewing.

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Hey Chattanoogans-

Don’t forget to use your Kids First Coupon Book for discounts and savings toward activities this summer for your family. If you are not sending your kids to camp or if the grandparents will be watching the kids this summer, the Kids First book is a must have.

Here are my TOP TEN coupons that we will be taking advantage of this summer:

1. Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park – Buy Adult admission, get child’s free

2. Creative Discovery Museum- Buy admission, get one free

3. Hamilton Skate Place- One free skate admission

4. Pin Strikes Entertainment Center- Buy one game of bowling, get one free

5. Ruby Falls- Buy adult admission, get child’s free

6. Chattanooga Lookouts- Buy one, get one free admissions

7. Chattanooga Riverboat Company/Southern Belle- Buy one sightseeing cruise, get one free

8. Chattanooga Symphony and Opera- Buy ticket, get one 1/2 off

9. Lake Winnepesaukah- $3 off one unlimited ride ticket

10.Tennessee Aquarium/River George Explorer- $2.50 off admission

And for food, look at these values:

1. Chili’s-Free Bottomless chips and salsa with entrée purchase

2. DQ Grill and Chill-Buy 4pc chicken strip basket, get one free

3. Burger King-0.99 Kids Meal with value meal purchase

4. Noodles and Company-Buy one, get one free

5. Piccadilly Restaurants- $5 off $20 purchase

The 2012 Kids First Coupons expire 8/31/13 so these can be used right up until school starts. If you haven’t purchased one, you make be able to find some at a discounted price.

If you are not from Chattanooga, gathering coupons now for summer activities is a great way to save money during the summer on your kids and food.

Have a fun summer!

The post Things To Do In Chattanooga For The Summer! appeared first on Wife Mother First Lady.

One of the recipes I made recently via Pinterest was a homemade salsa in a blender.

This recipe comes from Mountain Mama Cooks website and it was just okay for me (it was a little on the thin side). But even though I didn’t fall in love with this recipe, I did learn something.

If you want restaurant style salsa at home, all you have to do is keep and add key ingredients to a store bought salsa that you love.

First, purchase your favorite salsa (it could be verde, mango, chunky or thin). Next, always have on hand some ground cumin, cilantro, white onions, and limes.

If you chop up your cilantro and onions fine enough, you won’t need a blender. Season the salsa with lime juice and cumin to taste and VOILA!

I do add salt to mine (even though I am supposed to be monitoring my intake) but I like my salsa on the salty side. Also, if you want a little kick, add a fresh chopped jalapeno.

Let me know how you like your salsa and if you make it at home.

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Yes, I still homeschool my son (which mean actively teach and participate in my son’s learning at home in conjunction with his teachers) while he goes to traditional school and I am working on my summer learning plan for him right now.

What is my summer homeschooling plan or what would I like it to be?

Well, for us summer time is a time to have a break from the structured learning of the traditional school setting but it is also a time where we like to continue to supplement learning in fun ways.

First, summer vacations and travel are an excellent way to supplement learning during the summer (and you don’t have to travel far to do so). If you are planning any kind of summer travel, do a little bit of research of two or three educational sites in your travel city where you can take your children and learn. Sometimes it is great to do the research together online so when you all arrive, the kids have something to look forward to that they are already familiar with. Even if you go to the lake for the summer, you may want to discuss types of fish and their habitat. During outside play, you can study science and insects that you see. Just small and fun things like that.

Second, reading books continue to be a priority. I vlogged a while back about my husband and I touring a potential new school for my son and loved the curriculum and methods of teaching. Unfortunately, the school was not in our price range, lacked diversity and was not conviently located in our neighborhood. But that doesn’t mean that our son still can’t benefit from that type of learning at home. So, what I am doing is downloading that school’s summer reading list for 1st graders and picking several of those books for us to read this summer. Also, some of their teaching approaches can be implemented during our summer homeschooling by us instead of his traditional school. So pretty much he has the best of both worlds.

Third, we use summertime to encourage and teach healthy living and physical activity through camp and outdoor play, building team sportsmanship when he participates in softball and the development of his spiritual life (he is sooo ready to take communion but still unclear about baptism and what it means).

We really don’t want summer to feel like a “drag” for our son but want him to learn and have fun at the same time. Yes, it takes some effort but in the long run, the benefits can be tremendous.

The post Summer Homeschooling {And Doing What The Elite Do}! appeared first on Wife Mother First Lady.

I just recently had to purchase a new laptop because my old Gateway died. So now I have a lovely Toshiba laptop and it was loaded with the new Windows 8 program.

As many of you know, I am not a techy person so I was a little intimidated learning a new program (this is why I have not converted to Mac). But because the Windows 8 start up screen is so visually appealing, I was excited to see what it did.

I am still learning the ins and outs of the system but this is what I have learned so far:

1. The Windows 8 start up screen has panels for different applications that you want to “favorite” or that you use on a regular basis. An example would be that I uploaded the Bank of America Windows app to my home page. Since I am a online banking user, this comes in handy for me. Instead of typing in the address every time I need to visit the site, now I can just click on the app. The set up for BOfA is different from the online website with larger icons and an easy to navigate page.

2. Windows 8 comes with pre-loaded apps but you can add others that you need AND arrange them in order of priority on your screen. All you have to do is right click on a panel and move it anywhere on your home page that you want.

3. You can sync your social accounts (Facebook, Twitter, and LinkdIn) to automatically show updates from a combined panel on your home page. Just click the “Contacts” panel and every notification from each social site appears. No need to login to each site individually.

4. You can sync your personal email account with the Windows application and get updates from your email on a “Messages” panel.

5. Any photos that you have saved on your computer or through your social sites shows up in a “Photos” panel on your home pages. You can also link to your personal photo accounts (like Flickr) and those pictures will show up too.

6. There is a great calendar app (that notifies you a day before of appointments) , as well as, a great camera app that can take still pictures right from your computer.

I have also been able to upload free children’s game and movie apps through the Windows 8 website and my son has loved being able to learn to maneuver my new laptop.

So, if you are considering the Windows phone, it will work the same way and I think it is well organized (being the efficient living expert that I am).

I still have lots more to learn and will update you when I become the “expert”. If you use Windows 8, let me know some of the cool things that you have learned.

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Now is the time to begin to think about family summer plans. Many of us look forward to taking a vacation during the summer and spending time with the family. But the costs of these vacations can sometimes stress us out more than the enjoyment of the vacation. Here are a few tips for planning and staying on budget for your family vacation.

1. Set a realistic vacation goal. Your vacation should be based upon how much money you have saved up or are able to pay as you go. Plan a vacation that is right for your family and not compared to other families.

2. Look into all inclusive resorts or hotels that offer free breakfast and maybe a light snack in the evening to save on your meals. When you have a family of greater than three, food can be costly. Always purchase beverages and snacks for the room. And look into getting rooms with refrigerators and microwaves. You won’t regret it.

3. Discuss with the family ahead of time which outings/excursions that you want to participate in. Doing this lets everyone know what is already planned and unexpected expenses want be incurred by deciding on the spot.

4. Prepay for most of your vacation ahead of time. This will allow you to know what has been spent and what you have left to spend. And you won’t get a shock when the final bills arrive.

5. Place all spending money on a prepaid Visa card or a separate debit card (never credit cards). Once the money is gone, then it is gone and you stay on budget.

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