Mom's Marbles

Movie Monday: For the Boys and For the Moms

2009-07-13T00:01:00.000-04:00

This week we're pleased to review two titles for the boys... and two titles for their moms!

First up: Walt Disney studios recently released Power Rangers RPM: Start Your Engines Vol. 1 to dvd. This 110-minute disc contains 5 episodes of the latest series in the Power Rangers saga. We meet 4 Rangers and a variety of helpers and villains as the mysterious Venjix Computer Network has unleashed an evil computer virus and is trying to take over the world - only the shining city of Corinth stands in their way. My 7 year old son had never seen the Power Rangers and thought this dvd was great! I thought it was pretty violent - it's tons of fighting and smashing with lasers shooting - but it wasn't gory at all. The MPAA rating on it is Y7 - which means it's marketed for kids 7 and up. My son definitely liked the good guys battling the bad guys and will watch it again. (My 2 1/2 year old daughter was completely uninterested and wandered away!)

Here's a sneak peek for you:

Next, my son and my husband had another big treat in store! Recently they were able to review the original Transformers cartoons, and this week it was G.I. Joe. My husband is in nostalgia heaven! Next week, Shout! will release G.I. Joe: Real American Hero Season 1.1 to dvd. This 4-disc box set contains the first 22 episodes of the series, including several 5-episode mini-series like The Revenge of Cobra and The Pyramid of Darkness. Since 1982, Snake Eyes and the rest of the team of special operatives have battled against the evil forces of Cobra - both on screen and in a hugely popular line of toys by Hasbro. My husband loved re-living his childhood with my son - and even I enjoyed watching the "Knowing is Half the Battle" public service announcements that are included in the bonus material (along with original Hasbro toy commercials, and more).

Ready for a little mom-time after all that testosterone? Check out the latest fitness videos - So You Think You Can Dance: Get Fit! Released next week by Paramount Home Entertainment, the two new volumes are Cardio Funk and Tone and Groove. Six amazing dancers from the very popular television show So You Think You Can Dance will help us all to get fit at home by having fun dancing. I'm still on the road to recovery from a blood clot in my leg in March, so the Cardio Funk disc - with Courtney Galiano teaching Disco, Travis Wall leading Contemporary and Lauren Gottlieb pushing us in Hip Hop - that was pretty challenging for me! I did enjoy working segment-by-segment through Tone and Groove, with a Hip Hop segment by "Twitch" Boss, a Cha-Cha with Dmitri Chaplin and a Jazz routine with Katee Shean. The music on both discs is great, and they both include a warm-up, a cool-down, a bonus workout and interviews with the dancers. The tracking on the discs is good too, so for someone like me who is very slowly getting back into shape, I could do the warm-up, just one routine and then cool-down.

What movies have you been watching lately? Something new that caught your eye? Or how about a favorite workout video? Share your thoughts with us today!

These videos were provided by Click Communications for the purpose of this review.

Friday Food Fun: Strawberryville

2009-07-10T12:41:00.006-04:00

Did you know that there are about 200 seeds on the outside of a strawberry?

How about that one acre of land can grow about 500,000 strawberries -- that's the same weight as 4 elephants!

Your kids can find out these facts and many more about the beautiful juicy strawberry at Strawberryville, an adorable website dedicated to this delicious summer treat.

You can also find fun science experiments, tons of recipes (including Strawberry Breakfast Pizza, which my family will be trying out in the morning) and games in Strawberryville too.

So go ahead and click around. learn a little, have some fun and then pick out a recipe. Head out to pick some strawberries (you can find a local farm to pick your own here) and then make a tasty treat with you little ones!

What is your favorite way to enjoy strawberries?

Throwback Thursday: Little Lithographers

2009-07-09T07:14:00.001-04:00

Need an activity to keep the little ones occupied while you fix dinner? They can do this first part while you prepare the meal and the second part while it's in the oven!

All you need is a Styrofoam tray (like the kind chicken comes on--I'd wash it first!), an eating utensil, paper, a paint brush and some paint.

To begin, take the eating utensil of choice and hold it upside down. Use the spoon or fork to draw a picture on the tray. Remind your little one to press hard so the lines show up!

While the food is cooking you can help with the second part! Take your paint and paintbrush and just swipe a little paint on the top. Then, carefully lay your paper on top of the tray and gently push down. Slowly pull the paper up and turn over to see your masterpiece!

Moms With Marbles: Lazy Summer Days

2009-07-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

(photo by marisa l)
Many of us are halfway through our summer breaks. And no doubt, many of us are running out of ways to spend our days.

But don't forget that days spent doing next to nothing are just as important as days spent on elaborate outings and play dates!

We asked our mom friends on Twitter:
How does your family like to spend lazy summer days?

@CynSieWil said:we like to swim and bbq

@FreshWidow said:Recommend fireflies for constant surprise. Special treat if your kids usually go 2 bed early.

@momexperience said:sleeping in, having no schedule and getting to the pool as much as possible
How do you and your family take time to relax and enjoy the lazy days of summer?

Show and Tell Tuesday: Yummy!

2009-07-07T00:01:00.003-04:00

This show and tell challenge was kinda tough for me. My kids, and myself included, are the meat and potatoes kinda eaters. "Very bland" is how we've been described! So I wanted to come up with a not-so-bland eating experience for my show-and-tell this week. Crazy, ethnic restaurants--out of the question. Build your own -insert item here-. Nope. The boys would just add ketchup and be done. Then the A-HA moment hit.

We have this place called TradersPoint Creamery just north of town. It's an actual working farm with cows and all that, but it's also a tourist attraction. One could take a self-guided tour and follow it up with a little taste-test of all the products the cows provide. My boys do love cheese. And they do love ice cream. And we do love us some hamburgers (yes, provided by the cows).

So tasty! And I'd love to show you just how tasty (since it is called SHOW and tell) but when I got out my camera to document our trip, I realized I'd left the memory card in the laptop at home!!! So if you all could just picture a 4 and 2 year old happily licking ice cream (vanilla, of course) and it running down over their chubby little fingers I'd appreciate it!

Your turn to Show and Tell! How did you do YUMMY! ? I hope you remembered your camera (and memory card!).

Next Week's Challenge: Quiet!

Giveaway WINNER!

2009-07-06T00:01:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to kcolucci who won our Jonas Bros. dvd by tweeting about our contest!

kcolucci - you need to contact us by leaving your email address in a comment here or by emailing MomsMarbles(at)hotmail.com !

Don't forget to enter our I Spy giveaway, and keep your eyes open for even more contests coming soon.

Friday Food Fun: Patriotic Star Soda

2009-07-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here's a quick-and-easy 4th of July treat!

Simply freeze a red juice (Juicy Juice makes cherry as well as strawberry-kiwi) and a blue juice (we used blue Gatorade) into ice cubes. If you have a fancy mold, fancy ice cubes are even more fun - I had a couple star-shaped molds, so we made stars.

The next day, pop a few ice cubes of each color into a glass of clear soda (such as Sprite). Watch as the soda fizzes into the colors and they mix and swirl!

Fun and easy! Do you have any special treats you like to make for the 4th of July? Please share them with us here at Mom's Marbles!

Throwback Thursday: Balloon Races

2009-07-02T07:31:00.002-04:00

Here is a great game to do with balloons. It's sure to bring out the competitive side as well as the silly giggler in all of us. And reinforcing a little scientific method never hurts, right?

Give each child a blown up balloon. Set up a start line and a finish line and then tell them to get their balloon from one end to the other without touching it. They can blow, fan it with their hands, or create small gusts of wind by clapping.

To mix things up, set each child off on a mission to find a tool to help them move their balloon, while still not touching it. Some ideas are a drinking straw, medicine dropper or turkey baster, handheld fan, or an empty squirt bottle or squirt gun.

Encourage them to set up obstacles on the race course. Or move the race to the yard and see if the grass makes moving the balloon easier or more difficult.

Allergic to latex or out of balloons? Try racing with something light, like a packing peanut, Styrofoam cup or decorative feather!

Moms With Marbles: Taking the Monotony Out of Repetition

2009-07-01T08:17:00.004-04:00

Don't forget to enter our I SPY giveaway (with 5 prize packages) and Jonas Brothers DVD giveaway

I don't know about you, but I've been dealing with a lot of the same at my house. And by that I mean a lot of the same questions and demands over and over and over and over. So I dug this wonderful Moms With Marbles post out of the archives to review. Hope it helps you too!

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This week's Mom With Marbles is Amber Passey. Amber has a handsome husband and two darling daughters. They are always busy with play, music, library programs and cooking. She uses her degree in human development every day to understand and encourage her children's development and then shares their adventures with the readers of Because Babies Grow Up.

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3 Tips for Taking the Monotony out of Repetition

#1 Understanding the Need for Repetition

All this repetition helps them make sense of the world and learn the way things work. The more they experience repetition, the stronger the connections are made in their brains.

#2 Initiate the Repetition

Switch roles with your child. You ask the questions and your child answers. Since little ones learn so much from repetition, it's beneficial for them to participate in both sides of the game. The first couple times you ask the questions, they may struggle to explain the answer. But with practice you'll see them grow in their understanding and abilities.

#3 Change the Rules

Once little ones have a specific expectation for an activity, change the rules! This helps them be flexible become successful problem solvers. My favorite example is how Sammi loves to help with the dryer. I help her up on top and she pushes the button to start it. Once she mastered that, she discovered other buttons and started pushing them and asking me if they worked. I always said no on the wrong buttons and yes on the right button. It got to be a 5-minute ordeal just to turn the dryer on! One day, out of shear boredom, when she asked about the wrong button I said yes. She was so confused! She said, “No, Mommy, it’s this one.” and pushed the correct button and it started. It only took 15 seconds that day! But the next day she expected me to say yes on the wrong button. This time she pushed it and it didn’t work; she looked at me and I said, “Oops, I guess not!” After that we had to go through all the wrong buttons saying yes and the right button saying no and then she would start it. So when I got bored with that game, I didn’t turn the knob. When she pushed the right button, nothing happened. She was REALLY confused. Then I was able to show her a little more about how the dryer works. Now she likes to practice turning the knob, which is excellent fine motor skill development.

The best way to take the monotony out of repetition is to keep it fresh for you. Parenthood is all about creative problem solving which is good for OUR development, too!

Have some marbles of mommy wisdom to share? Email us at momsmarbles{at}hotmail{dot}com!

Show and Tell: Wet

2009-06-30T08:52:00.005-04:00

Click here to find out what Show&Tell is all about!

This week's Show&Tell challenge was wet! Being in the heat of summer, there are tons of ways to get wet with your kiddos:

You could hit up the local swimming pool.

Or maybe set up a splash day in your back yard, comlpete with sprinkler and water balloons.

Or maybe you could go on a water walk to explore creeks, rivers and ponds in your area.

That last one is how Mary Ellen and I decided to get wet with all of our little ones.

We hiked the trails in a local park, checking out all the trickling streams that eventually led to the big river. The boys had fun crossing bridges, gettting their hands wet and hopping across streams on river rocks.

Time to Show&Tell! How did you explore "wet?"

Next week's challenge: yummy

Movie Monday - and a Giveaway!

2009-06-29T00:01:00.001-04:00

Welcome back to Movie Monday at Mom's Marbles! My kids and I love to review the latest dvd releases for you, so you know what your family might enjoy watching next.

This week we have 5 movies to review and 1 to give away! We'll be reviewing Morning Light, The Pink Panther 2, the animated Transformers: Season 1, The Princess Protection Program, and the Jonas Brothers Concert Experience. We have a copy of the Jonas Brothers Concert Experience: Extended Movie 2-Disc DVD with Digital Copy to give away, so keep reading to find out how you can win it!

Morning Light is a new Disney dvd, which presents a true-to-life, unscripted account of how a crew of teenagers and young adults are chosen and trained for the amazing experience of sailing in the Transpac Yacht Race from California to Hawaii. This grueling race (over 2,500 miles) is sometimes called the Indy 500 of yacht racing, and this dvd is a fascinating look into the sport of yacht racing. The documentary follows the young folks as they interview and apply for one of 15 positions on the crew and then gives an insider's look into training (including learning about navigating, how to fix the boat, and strength & cardio training to work up to the physical challenge of sailing for 10-plus days). Both the dvd and Blu-Ray versions of the movie include bonus features such as "Stories from the Sea" and "ESPN: Making the Cut." I found it quite interesting and my 7-year-old son enjoyed watching most of it too. His one complaint was that it was a little hard for him to follow, and he couldn't tell when they were training and when they were racing. So kids under 7 might be a little young for this disc, but I enjoyed it and I'm sure we'll watch it again over the years.

The Pink Panther 2 is the sequel to the recent remake of the classic Pink Panther movies, and this Fox movie stars Steve Martin as Inspector Clouseau. The cast was full of funny actors that I was familiar with, including John Cleese, Lily Tomlin, and Andy Garcia. As the thief known as "The Tornado" goes after some of the world's greatest treasures, an international "dream team" of detectives comes together to hunt him down - and that "dream team" includes the bumbling Clouseau. The movie was funny in the physical comedy vein of many Steve Martin movies, but did include several moments of adult innuendo and had a romantic relationship as one of the main sub-plots (it is rated PG). When we'd seen the trailer for this movie in the theater, we thought the movie would contain the character from the cartoons and be more kid-friendly, so take this as a gentle warning! The retail version of The Pink Panther 2 has two discs - one with the film, probably more suited for adults, and a second disc with 27 of the classic Pink Panther cartoons. My 7-year-old son did enjoy the movie, especially the physical comedy bits, but I'm going to put it away with movies slanted for an older audience!

Can you believe the original Transformers cartoon is celebrating its 25th anniversary? There are several great releases from Shout! Factory this month, one of which is Transformers: The Complete First Season 25th Anniversary Set. This is a 3-disc set that includes all 16 original episodes from the first season as well as a disc of bonus features like some classic Hasbro toy commercials (so nostalgic!) and even a rare Public Service Announcement they made. My 7-year-old son had never seen Optimus Prime and Megatron before, but he has become a HUGE fan! It's a great set for a little father-son bonding, since my husband has his own fond memories of loving the Transformers as a kid. Just in case you have no idea what I'm talking about, the show features giant robots that can change from vehicles (mostly good-guy cars and trucks and bad-guy jets and planes) into humanoid forms. They've come to Earth in search of a new energy source for their home planet, and apparently they managed to capture that little-boy magic too, because I haven't met a boy who doesn't love them!

The Princess Protection Program is a brand new movie from the Disney Channel - it premiered on television last Friday and it will be available in stores tomorrow. The movie features Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato as two girls from two different worlds who overcome their differences and become BFFs. It's a common plot but it seems to resonate with a lot of kids. Here, "Bait Girl" Carter Mason has a father who works for the Princess Protection Program, and one day he brings home a sixteen-year-old princess from a tiny country so he can protect her. Princess Rosalinda does her best to fit in at the Louisiana high school while teaching Carter about her "inner princess." It's a feel-good high school movie, and both my 7-year-old son and my 2-year-old daughter enjoyed watching it - there's plenty of slapstick along with the sappy moments. The dvd includes several exclusive bonus features that weren't shown on tv, including a behind-the-scenes look at production and the music video of the show's main song, "One and the Same," performed by the show's stars. Plenty of family fun!

Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience Deluxe Extended Movie in 3-D is an amazing Blu-Ray package! It includes a Blu-Ray disc with both the 3-D and 2-D versions of the wildly popular concert movie by the wildly popular teen boy band, a bonus dvd of the 2-D version, and a digital file copy so you can easily watch the movie on a portable device. The movie is mostly the Jonas Brothers performing their music (including some songs that had never been seen before) as well as lots of behind-the-scenes moments as they deal with their superstardom and travel around the world to perform. There are bonus features with even more behind-the-scenes shots as well as new bonus songs. My kids and I had never really seen the Jonas Brothers before (I know, I know! but we're not tween-age yet!) - my 7-year-old son wasn't excited about the movie, though he grudgingly admitted that "the music is okay." My 2-year-old daughter enjoyed bouncing and bopping to the music and laughing at the antics of the girls fawning over the band between sets. I think you know if you have a Jonas fan in your house, and if you do you're probably already planning to pick up a copy of this movie!

Now you have a chance to win the dvd version of Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience! It contains the 2-D version of the movie and the bonus features including Up Close and Personal, an extra behind-the-scenes look into the life of the band, as well as a Digital Copy of the movie so you can put it onto a portable device. You can enter this contest once or twice:

first, leave a comment telling us who in your life loves the Jonas Brothers or what movie you've enjoyed with your kids recently
second, if you like, either blog about this contest and leave us your link in a comment or Tweet about the contest on Twitter (be sure to include the hashtag #momsmarbles) and come back to leave a comment letting us know you tweeted

Next Monday we'll announce the winner! Good luck!

Don't forget to let us know if you've seen any of the movies reviewed today! We'd love to hear your opinions too.

These movies were provided by Click Communications for the purposes of this review.

Friday Food Fun: Watermelon!

2009-06-26T00:01:00.000-04:00

It's watermelon season, and my kids love it! Do yours?

Watermelon is great in the summer because it helps keep the kids (and moms!) hydrated while we're playing outside. How do you enjoy watermelon? Here are a few ideas...

Buy a seedless watermelon for younger kids. Although these do still often have a few seeds, they're safer for toddlers.
Buy a seeded watermelon for your older kids, though, because then you can have a summertime favorite watermelon-spitting contest!
Try new varieties of watermelon - at the grocery store or farmers' markets, you can sometimes find yellow-fleshed melons or square ones.
Cut watermelon into semicircles for classic bites, triangles for easier handling, or chunks for kids who don't like hanging onto the rinds.
Scoop out the flesh of a watermelon half and use the watermelon "bowl" to hold your fruit salad - mix watermelon chunks with grapes, cantaloupe chunks, and cherries.
Make watermelon slushies - just blend watermelon chunks with ice and any other fruit you have on hand to make a great summertime drink!
Try freezing chunks of watermelon with popsicle sticks in them to make a healthy & easy frozen treat.

Do you have other ideas for watermelon? Please share them with us here at Mom's Marbles! We'd love to hear from you!

Throwback Thursday:

2009-06-25T00:01:00.001-04:00

Old McMom had some kids, E-I-E-I-Oand those kiddos sure were bored, E-I-E-I-OI bet you all know where I'm going with this! Yep to the farm!

If you live in the city, take your kids out of their elements and visit a farm or an orchard. They will be so curious and amazed at how our food is grown, and all the hard work that goes into running a farm. They may even try to do some of the work themselves, voluntarily!

If getting to a farm is an issue, bring the farm to your house. Lay out the overalls for everyone to wear, even you Mom! Before breakfast, have the kids do their chores, as if they lived on a farm. Have them feed the pets as if the pets were your livestock. Have them collect eggs out of the "chicken coup" and then use those same eggs for breakfast. Go apple picking by placing apples on the lower branches of a tree, and send out the kiddos with a basket to gather them up. There is so much you could do, but please refrain from shearing the cat for its wool!

During down time, have a bag of books that are farm related for your curious little minds. Visit your local library and grab all the non-fiction farm books and even a few story books for the younger ones. A few of my favorites are " Rooster Can't Cock-a-Doodle-Doo" by Karen Rostoker and "Click-Clack, Moo: Cows that Type" by Doreen Cronin. Grab books with pictures of the farm equipment, buildings and animals. The future farmers will love them all!

Moms With Marbles: Young Children and Nightmares

2009-06-24T07:56:00.006-04:00

Moms With Marbles is a weekly feature where one mom from around the web shares her marbles of mommy wisdom. If you are interested in being a featured Mom With Marbles, please send an email to momsmarbles{at}hotmail{dot}com.

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Some of the most knowledgeable resources on pediatric health, practical parenting and child development from around the world have gathered to create The Triumphant Child: A Practical Guide for Raising Two, Three and Four Year Olds.

This week's Moms With Marbles post comes to us from The Triumphant Child, the blog behind the book.

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A nightmare is a distressing dream that causes at least partial waking. Children may wake scared, anxious and upset. Nightmares may start at age two and peak between ages four to six. Common themes are being chased by frightening persons (bad guys, witches, monsters etc.), or animals (lions, tigers, bears etc.). Nightmares seem to be a part of normal development and do not usually signify serious problems. They usually occur during the early hours of the morning, but each child is different.

Nightmares may be caused by:

The ordinary stresses of childhood—at this age children are learning to deal with a variety of strong emotions—the nightmares may act as a release of pressure for these stresses.

Watching scary TV shows or reading scary books. Even the news, heard or watched, depicts frightening themes to children. Remember, what is scary to one child may not be scary to another.

A traumatic event such as surgery or an accident.

A child with a vivid imagination.

Fever.

What can you do if your child has a nightmare?

Go to your child—comfort him by giving him a hug—use a calm, gentle voice.

Take his fears seriously. You and I know there is not a monster under the bed, but to a child recently woken with a nightmare it seems very real. You may like to check under the bed, but let the child know it is for their benefit, not because you feel there is any danger.

It may help your child to talk to you about his nightmare. Together you could think of a different and “happier” ending for the dream. Putting the nightmare into words can make it seem less powerful; changing the ending can help children to master their fears.

Stay with your child until he feels calmer. If he is particularly upset, try quietly reading a favorite book or singing a song.

The next day you could draw or role-play the nightmare with the new “happier” ending. Allowing children to play out their fears is a powerful tool.

To help prevent nightmares you can:

Stick to an established bedtime routine. This is a great start to helping a child feel safe. I know one father who, as part of his children’s bedtime routine, recites a little poem designed to keep away nightmares. It goes like this:

“Thank you for the day,

And for the beautiful night,

May I have good dreams,

And sleep through the night,

Thank you for the day.”

Monitor children’s television and books. As adults, we tend to forget that most movies depict at least one baddie. What is scary to one child may not be scary to another.

There are plenty of books you can read to your child, that address the issues of nightmares and night fears. These types of books will help children to explore and master their feelings and fears.

Having a night light, keeping the door open or sharing a room with a sibling may also help a child feel safe. If the nightmares are becoming more frequent or you feel something is not right, then seek help from your health professional.

Show and Tell: Texture

2009-06-23T08:29:00.005-04:00

Click here for more deatils on Show&Tell so you can play along!

This week's challenge was texture. Exploring different textures with your little ones can not only be educational but also lots of fun! Some ideas for exploring textures with your kids are visiting a petting zoo to touch the fuzzy animals, collecting rocks and comparing their different surfaces, and going on a texture scavenger hunt where you list a few texture words like bumpy, smooth and scratchy and then send the kids off to hunt down items that fit that description.

This week, Mary Ellen and her boys invited us to explore texture by making some leaf rubbings. We met at a bridge over to our favorite creek and began looking for interesting leaves.

After making our selections, we laid down our leaves on a smooth surface (veiny side up), covered them with a crisp sheet of white paper and rubbed the broad side of a crayon over them.

Like magic, the image of the leaves veins appeared on our papers!

The boys loved it and ended out hunting down different shapes of leaves until multiple rubbings covered their papers!

How did you explore texture with your children this week? Don't forget to leave your link below!

Next week's challenge: WET

Keeping Kids Hydrated In Summer

2009-06-22T00:01:00.001-04:00

We've barely been inside besides the occasional bathroom run (unless there's a tree nearby for the boys) and going to sleep at night. And while every second of water gun fights, playground romping, and firefly catching has been very cool, the weather has been quite hot!

When I was in the Army, our drill sergeants placed a huge emphasis on hydration and it has definitely carried over into my parenting. Here are a few examples:

Photo by americana decadence

Hydration Formations: Each evening we had a mandatory Hydration Formation, where all the soldiers stood with a full canteen in hand and were given an order to drink it all and then hold the empty canteen upside down over our heads to show we had finished. While I'm definitely not that structured with my kiddos, I do keep in mind when they last had a drink and offer them a glass before they ask if it's been awhile.

Just Water: As I'm sure you know, there is nothing fancy about Army life. In fact, we weren't given the option of anything but water to drink until we had been in training for many weeks. Sugary drinks and juice may sound tasty on a hot day, but make sure to get some pure water into your little ones as much as possible.

Urine Inspection: No, our drill sergeants did not follow us into the bathroom. But we were expected to keep track of our tinkles on our own. Why? Urine can tell a lot about a person's hydration. How? Two ways, really. First of all, check the color. The clearer the urine, the better hydrated you are. If your little one's tinkle is pretty yellow, that's a sign they need some water ASAP. And secondly, keep track of frequency. If you notice it's been awhile since they've needed a potty break, then it's safe to say they need some water.

Canteens: Part of a soldier's required uniform is a canteen. Water is just as important as strong boots or a clean weapon. When it comes to your kiddos, be sure to have plenty of H2O on hand before you head out to the beach, park or even the yard. My boys each have a CamelBak Mini M.U.L.E. Kid's Hydration Pack and we just love them! Not only are they a neat, handsfree way to always have water on hand, but they also have pockets for cool treasures found on hikes, little toys to take to the park, or a few snacks to munch on.

What tips and tricks do you use to make sure your little ones stay hydrated?

Friday Food Fun: What Do You And Your Kids Do To Make Food Fun?

2009-06-19T05:01:00.000-04:00

There are many battles that can occur at the dining table. Maybe your kids are too busy having fun with something else to even want to come to the table. Or maybe they are easily bored seeing the same meals over and over. Perhaps, you have trouble getting much of the food into their mouths because they're too busy feeding it to the dogs or flinging it across the room.

We asked around Twitter and here is what moms (and a dad) like you are doing to help their little ones have fun with their food!

@nsmith729 said: My daughter loves cookie cutters. Everything from star-shaped burgers to heart-shaped eggs.She's easy to please.

@dbinkowski (a dad) said: let them make it. and if that doesn't work lie. and if that doesn't work -- ketchup.

@bluewaterscents said: I've always let my son help me cook. He eats better when it's HIS cooking. lol Plus, he's a decent cook now.

And the ever optimistic Shannon, @rocksinmydryer, said: Wasn't aware there was such a thing as un-fun food. I pretty much think it's all wonderful. ;)

What do you and your kiddos do to make food fun?

Throwback Thursday: As Plain as the Nose on Your Face

2009-06-18T07:41:00.003-04:00

We've all played 2o Questions, but here is a fun, more involved, maybe a bit messier way to play!

Start off painting an object with face paint on your sweet one's cheek, nose or entire face, but don't tell them what it is and make sure to cover up all mirrors/reflective surfaces so they can't sneak a peek! For example, a spider, a flower, turn them into a lion, cat etc. We usually do this outside in case paint spills and there is nothing reflective.

Once an object has been painted, the little one has to go around and ask people questions with a "yes/no"answer about what's on their face. It's up to you if you want to put a limit to the number of questions, or amount of time they have until they find out what's on their face. When they do figure out what is on their face, let them have some fun and paint your face!

I'd love to hear from you if you tried this game! If it worked(or didn't), what you painted, or even better pictures of your face after it's been painted! So drop us a line in the comment area, or e-mail us your pictures for the Mom's Marbles Photo Album

Moms With Marbles: Are You Letting Yourself Go?

2009-06-17T00:01:00.001-04:00

Moms With Marbles is a weekly post from a different mom around the web who shares her marbles of mommy wisdom. If you are interested in being featured, please send an email to momsmarbles{at}hotmail{dot}com.

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This week's Mom With Marbles is Tracy from The Crazy Suburban Mom.

My name is Tracy Reinhardt but I think of myself as The Crazy Suburban Mom ( A fact my family will vouch for. Enthusiastically. ) I spend my days trying to see half-full glasses, the silver lining, and the cheese rather than the whine. I'm also and artist and a freelance humor writer.

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The Ghost of Granny Panties Past

I drove my son to a friend's house last Saturday. I was feeling hassled and it was early so I grabbed the keys, stepped into my $9.99 CVS Barbie-pink Crocs and ran out the door.

The rest of my attire consisted of midnight blue flannel pajama pants (with shooting stars) and an inside-out Mustard yellow Cape May New Jersey night shirt. Before leaving I looked in the mirror. I decided I was reasonably presentable for the current circumstance because:

1. I wasn’t getting out of the car.

2. The trip would take less than 15 minutes

3. The night shirt looked like a T-shirt and the chances of someone seeing my shooting star pajama bottoms were practically nil.

I wasn’t thinking about much of anything during the car ride. I listened to talk radio; the boy had his iPod on. Someone on the radio was complaining. The sun was in my eyes. People were trying to pass me so they could get nowhere 2 minutes faster than me.

My normal day came to a crashing halt when I looked in my view mirror. That’s when it happened... Instead of seeing the traffic behind me I saw my Grandma.

But not Grandma with her perfect nails and immaculate attire… Grandma, the day she opened the door to her apartment in her underwear, holding an enema bag.

I was 18 years old and had my driver's license. Grandma was kind of cool and always had maple walnut ice cream; my mother didn’t. So Grandma was a good place to go after school.

Grandma: Oh, Tracy. Good. You can help me with something.

Me: No. Um, that’s okay, you look... (I was struggling for a word here...) Busy?

(You have to understand my horror at this point. I had never seen my Grandma in her underwear before, a fact I was good with. Things she had said to me over the years came tumbling back. Stomach ache? You need a good physic (Physic is what Grandma called laxatives). Headache? Physic. Confused? Get yourself a Physic. Got to move those bowels, she would say.

I started backing away from the door.

Grandma: Don’t be silly, come in.

And with that Grandma walked into her kitchen (It was a small apartment, I could see the kitchen from outside her door) where she resumed defrosting her freezer.

With the enema bag.

I never forgot that. I've asked myself, how could she answer the door in her Granny Panties, many times over the years. I’ve thought about it a lot.

I didn’t want to. It’s just something you can’t forget no matter how hard you try.

And there she was the other day, in my rear view mirror, smiling, nodding, pointing to the enema bag. My first thought was, but I don't have a head ache... and than I realized she had come to save me from going farther down that slippery slope she herself had gone down all those many years before.

How is it that one day going out without mascara is unthinkable? And seemingly the next day (or week, or year… they all sort of run together) the only mascara you have on is what’s left under your eyes from the night before?

How does acceptable public attire go from:

I look hot!

To...I look presentable.

To…Eh, at least I’m clean.

To…No one is going to see my shooting-star pajama pants anyway.

And believe me, when going out in your shooting star flannel pajamas becomes okay? You are so far down the slope already you need divine intervention from The Ghost of Granny Panties Past.
I just showed you the next step. And it’s not pretty.

I’ve seen it.

Show and Tell: Create

2009-06-16T07:46:00.007-04:00

It's time for Show and Tell!

This week's challenge is Create! And after a morning at a Butterfly Garden and a quick trip through the gift shop I had the perfect idea! My boys LOVED spying butterflies as they were camouflaged in the flowers.

I thought to myself We should get a butterfly feeder to keep in the backyard, until I saw the price. Then I thought we should make a butterfly feeder to keep in the backyard. So we got to work:

We took a butter lid and colored it with bright colors, like the flowers. I, then, punched holes in it and tied some twine, so it looks like this:

Now, we will hang it above our flowers outside and add a bit of sugar water and the occassional orange slice.

What did you create? Be sure to leave your link in the Mr. Linky below!

Next week's challenge: Texture

Throwback Thursday: What to Do With Broken Crayons!

2009-06-11T00:01:00.003-04:00

We have more winners!
*Punkinmama from More on the Other Side won a Skin Renewal System from Skin Free 100% Natural Skin Care Products!
*Mamabug from Our 3 Bugs won a pair of Energizer Bunny slippers!

Congratulations ladies! Please e-mail us to claim your prizes.
There is still plenty of time, until the 30th of this month, to register for our I-Spy grandprize giveaway!
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There's nothing better and more full of promise than a freshly opened box of crayons. All of them lined up and just ready for your little one's creativity to be spread on page after page of crisp paper. And then it happens...

Mid stroke, perhaps because they are a little too excited, their beloved crayon breaks. The stroke is abruptly ended. The paper wrapper tears. And the crayon no longer holds the magic it did just moments ago.

Some children don't mind broken crayons and still use them down to tiny nubs that end up too small to fit in their chubby fingers and then sit in the bottom of the crayon bucket, lonely and unused.

Fear not, tiny crayon remnants! You will be loved by a small child again very soon with the help of these ideas!

*Make stained glass artwork by placing tiny pieces or shavings of crayons between two pieces of wax paper. Then have mom iron the two together on low heat or pop them in the oven on an old cookie sheet for a few minutes.

*Make interesting swirly colored crayons by placing different color combinations into wax paper muffin cups and melting them in the oven. Make sure to let them cool all the way before little ones get their hands on them.

*Want a quicker solution? Throw all the broken crayons in to the toe of some old panty-hose. Tie the hose in a knot so the crayons are really squeezed in there. The crayon ball will fit perfectly into chubby little hands and is easy to rub over a sheet of paper for a colorful surprise!

Moms With Marbles: Mom's Disaster Preparedness Plan

2009-06-10T00:01:00.000-04:00

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This week's Mom With Marbles is Heather from

School is out in just 3 short days and my monkeys will be home for 3 long months. We'll hit parks, playgrounds, libraries and special events in the area; I'll find ways to work the girls into my daily routine of chores, errands and food prep. Along the way, though, disasters will happen. Most will be minor, like arriving at the bounce house with 2 kids in flip flops.

Some will be expensive (what's worse than $2 bounce house socks?), some will be painful (though I'm hoping to avoid an ER trip this year) and some will be down right annoying (hey, who forgot the sunscreen? Oh, right. Me).

Thus, my plans for a successful summer include more than just a schedule of activities and a lunch menu. Each year, I replenish my own, personal Summer Fun Emergency Kit. I actually keep it in my car year round, but it gets the bulk of its use through the summer. It's full of great things like bandages, Tylenol and tissues but I also keep extra socks for indoor playgrounds, batteries for who knows what and sunscreen because I've forgotten it one too many times.

That doesn't mean I don't pack the sunscreen when I know we'll be outside or remind my girls to don socks when we need them. The emergency kit is just that—for emergencies only. I try to forget it's there on a regular basis, but I'd be lying if I didn't tell you we use it at least once a week. Of course, if I'd just store the Wet Ones somewhere else we might not open the kit quite so often. It has saved me from taking sticky hands to the grocery store many times over

The Shout wipes I include have rescued clothing from similar messes. If you're a germaphobe or just visit parks with not so great restrooms, be sure to include hand sanitizer. I'm even considering including entire outfits this year, though we're finally finished with potty training. It never fails that the one day I have plans for lunch or to stop by the store on the way home is the day one of the kids falls in the creek on our hike or lands right in a mud puddle at the bottom of the slide.

Stopping Murphy's Law in its tracks is what my little kit is all about. My girls are constantly surprising me so I'm sure they'll come up with at least one kid emergency I can't thwart. I am constantly adding things as these situations arise. New this year are my pocket-sized grocery sacks. It will provide the opportunity to stop at the grocery store on the fly or a waterproof bag for wet clothes.

If you're putting together one of your own, you should include things like:

Baby wipes or Wet Ones

Shout wipes

Hand sanitizer

Tissues

Hair ties

Sunscreen

Bug spray

Bandages

Neosporin

Anti-itch cream for bug bites

Tweezers (for removing splinters or bee stingers)

Spare eyeglasses, if anyone wears them

Socks (for unexpected stops at indoor playgrounds)

Tylenol or ibuprofen (children & adult)

A little cash (to avoid atm fees away from home)

Extra batteries for cameras & kids' toys

Medicine, inhalers, epi-pen as needed

Bottled water & snacks

reusable grocery sacks

Diapers or extra clothes for babies & potty-training toddlers

Anything else you have ever gone back home for or purchased on a trip

Please, feel free to share your own ideas; I'm all ears. My kit is ever evolving, much like my parenting itself. Maybe—if I had 12 more kids—I'd finally get this mom thing right, but I think I'll just keep practicing on the ones I've got.

Show and Tell: Green

2009-06-09T00:01:00.012-04:00

Our winners from last week's Bloggiversary Giveaway are...

Jean from Working Momma 247 wins Haagen Dazs Five Ice Cream

Kristi from The Mom Experience wins a Haagen Dazs Five Ice Cream

Jara from Downs Days wins the Soapsicle from Soapy Love

Congratulations! Please e-mail us at momsmarbles{at}hotmail{dot}com to claim your prizes!

There's still time to enter to win more fabulous prize including: a Skin Renewal System from Skin Free 100% Natural Skin Care Products, Energizer Bunny House Slippers, and a grandprize package from I-Spy!
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Show and Tell Time!

This week's challenge was "green." Every Saturday morning, 9am sharp, my boys and I take part in a "green" activity: Garage Saling! We reduce the amount of trash going into landfills by reusing items that others don't want. Now that's "green"!

Garage sales are much more than just green.

My boys get to explore:

socialize,
and learn the value of money.

Green doesn't have to mean reduce, reuse and recycle. How did you do "green"? Be sure to leave your link in the Mr. Linky below!

Next Week's Show and Tell: create

Drumroll Please!

2009-06-08T07:30:00.007-04:00

All week long we will be announcing the winners from our Bloggiversary giveaways from last week. There is still time to enter for some of the prizes, such as: Haagen Dazs Five Ice Cream and a Soapsicle from Soapy Love, a Skin Renewal System from Skin Free 100% Natural Skin Care Products, and many more!

The winner of our New Mom prize package which includes the adorable nursery print, Big Brown Cow, as well as the ever so sweet book Welcome to the World, a unique anthology about birth and babies is......velocibadgergirl!

And the winner of the Creepy Crawly Calypso book with CD and the Herb the Vegetarian Dragon set is......Adelas!

Congratualtions! E-mail us at momsmarbles{at}hotmail{dot}com to claim your prizes! And, to everyone else out there, don't forget to check back all week long. You could be a winner too!

Bloggiversary Day 5: I SPY 5 Great Prizes!

2009-06-05T13:43:00.006-04:00

We've talked about I SPY books before and what an excellent source of quality quiet time they can be. And what mom doesn't yearn for a little quality quiet time, am I right?

I SPY has just come out with a brand new book called A to Z: A Book of Picture Riddles!

Easy-to-read riddles by Jean Marzollo are paired with forty-six object-filled
photographs by Walter Wick to create I Spy A to Z, the most engaging alphabet
book ever! With more than thirty titles and 36 million books in print, the I Spy
series continues to win the hearts and minds of parents and kids
everywhere.

On this final day of our 1 year Bloggiversary celebration, we are offering up some excellent goodies from none other than our friends at I SPY, including this great new book! And get this! The contest has been extended from until July 11th!

Here is the breakdown of what the 5 randomly chosen winners will receive:

One (1) Grand Prize winner receives a Grand Prize Pack including:

Wii Video Game ‘Ultimate I SPY’

Board Game ‘I SPY Memory Game’

I SPY A to Z: A Book of Picture Riddles

One additional I SPY Book (Title TBD)

Grand Prize Pack valued at = $85.99

Four (4) runner-up winners receive a copy of the new book

I SPY A to Z: A Book of Picture Riddles

Each book valued at = $13.99

To enter (each option fulfilled in one entry, complete as many as you'd like):

Leave a comment telling us how you help your children have quality quiet time.

Visit the I SPY website and tell us one of the characters shown on the main page.

Tweet about this contest with a link to this post and the hastag #momsmarbles.