How do you like your coffee? For me, it’s got to have four sugars, two creams, and since we’re being honest, two more sugars. Whether you like your java straight up or loaded up, Keurig’s OfficePRO Single-Cup Coffee Brewer has you covered.

The brewer’s stylish black-and-silver design goes well with any office or home décor. You have your choice of three serving sizes—6, 8 or 10 ounces. If you’ve never experienced a single-serve coffee machine before, the notion of brewing a cup at a time might sound just to the left of a talking unicorn. But it’s true. You don’t have to fool with a pot these days.

The Keurig K-Cup is a plastic container packed with a single serving of ground coffee beans. You pop your K-cup into the brewer, hit a button, and voilà! You’ve got a fresh cup of joe from brands like Starbucks, Green Mountain, and Caribou Coffee.

Do your taste buds crave variety? Not a problem. Keurig offers lots of flavors of coffee, cider, tea and hot cocoa. When hot weather hits, it’s easy to make cold versions of your favorite drinks with Keurig’s Iced Coffee and Perfect Iced Tea K-Cups.

Here are five more things you’ll appreciate about the OfficePRO Single-Cup Coffee Brewer:

• Designed for easy cleaning and refilling
• Built to resist the wear and tear of frequent use
• Automatic turn off after two hours
• Travel mug friendly
• Removable drip tray to accommodate larger servings

Raise your hand up high if you’d like a Keurig OfficePRO Single-Cup Coffee Brewer of your very own. Put your hand down silly. You’ll need it to enter the giveaway.

Thanks to Staples, one lucky reader will win a Keurig OfficePRO Single-Cup Commercial Coffee Brewer ($129.99 value).

There is one (1) mandatory entry of commenting on the blog post. You may fill out as many entries as you wish on the Rafflecopter form and you can visit daily to earn more entries and increase your chance to win! Giveaway ends midnight EST on May 31. Winner announced June 1.

Just the facts, Jack: Staples provided the prize in order to facilitate the giveaway. I received no compensation for this post. These musings are based solely on my own experience and may be atypical. Please practice due diligence in making any related purchase decisions.

Good luck!
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Today is National Clean Out Your Purse Day. I’ve already fessed up about what’s living inside of my purse–receipts, children’s clothing, and oh yeah, another purse.

It’s enough to make a girl just want to start over with a brand new bag. But that would be so selfish of me. Instead, I’ve teamed up with several other fabulous bloggers to offer you the chance to win a “Simply Vera” Vera Wang handbag.

This shopper has it all, from the pleated accents to the textured woven design. The coral will go great with your eyes. Yes, I probably have not laid eyes on your eyes, but how can you go wrong with coral?

About the bag:

• 11″H x 18″W x 7″D
• Drop down strap length: 9 1/2″
• Magnetic snap closure
• Shoulder straps
• Interior: double center zip compartments, 2 slip pockets & zip pocket
• Faux leather
• Retail Value ~ $99.00

Wanna sport this purse this summer?
Giveaway Starts May 15th at 9am central time. Ends May 29th at 11:59pm central time.
Giveaway brought to you by ~
Living Smart Girl, Overtired Mommy, Blog by Donna, Mommy Has to Work and The Bookworm Mama.
Take a moment and visit all the wonderful blogs that have brought you this great giveaway.
Enter to win ~

~~

We’ll get back to our discussion of college savings tomorrow. Today, I have a confession. There is a purse living inside of my purse. My pre-kid wristlet held on as long as it could, but was ultimately swallowed by a hefty mommy bag. The crazy only continues from there.

My purse also contains: one of my daughter’s socks, a half-eaten box of raisins, a piece of aluminum foil, a Wendy’s receipt from last year, three tubes of the exact same lip gloss, five ink pens (of which only three have ink), and other junk that I’m not willing to admit.

I’m generally an organized gal, but my purse triggers the packrat in me. If you’re the same way, you’re not alone. On May 15, millions—or at least hundreds—of us will celebrate National Clean Out Your Purse Day.

If you’re not sure if your purse needs a cleaning, I’m here to help. You might need to clean out your purse if…

1. The inside of your bag is wearing more makeup than you are.

2. You can hear loose change jingling in there, but you can’t find the coins. Seriously, invest in a coin purse. You crafty girls can make your own super cute coin holder.

3. You might need to clean out your purse if you still have your movie stub from “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”

4. Grown men stumble under the weight of your bag. Hey lady, what do you have in there, a brick or something?

5. You’re carrying an item of children’s clothing that is two sizes too small. Guilty!

6. There’s more mail in your handbag than your mailbox. I used to stuff bills in my bag to pay later. Nowadays, I just snap a picture of the bill with my smartphone. That way I have all the information and none of the clutter. Yes, signing up for electronic statements is on my to-do list.

7. You might need to clean out your purse if it has changed shapes. It’s not pretty when a rectangular-shaped bag is so full it looks more like an oval.

Luci Swindoll, author of “Simple Secrets to a Happy Life,” offers a three-step process for cleaning a cluttered closet. Swindoll’s advice can also help you conquer the clutter in your purse.

Step 1: Clean in sections. Set aside time to clean each section of your bag. Don’t move to another section until you have finished the one you started. Even if the section you are working on generates more projects. For example, business cards found in that zipper pocket have to be loaded into your electronic contacts or otherwise stored. It’s tedious, but effective.

Step 2: Any personal or one-of-a-kind item is an automatic keeper. You should definitely hold onto your stub from “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” You just can’t keep it in your purse. Instead, take a little time every month to move event tickets, receipts, and other items to a safe place.

Step 3: Determine what is necessary to keep. Don’t remove the mints, dental floss, and crossword puzzles from your purse if you’ll lose sleep at night. Keep those items, and then reflect on why mints, dental floss, and crossword puzzles cause you to lose sleep at night. This is probably the hardest part of cleaning anything. Everything seems important, but if you haven’t touched an item in weeks, it should probably find somewhere else to live or go in the trash.

For more tips, check out organizational guru Kathi Lipp’s super-speedy purse cleaning guide.

Let’s celebrate your handbag revival with some awesome prizes. Below you will find a growing list of giveaways—purses, gift cards, and such. You’ll definitely want to check out LilMissChicka’s handbag giveaway. But first…

Attention Giveaway Hosts: May is for mothers. Please add all of your mama-friendly giveaways for the month of May. Here is the suggested linking info: Giveaway title, countries allowed, RC for Rafflecopter giveaways, and the end date. The URL should go directly to your giveaway post. All others will be deleted. For example: Chamilia Bracelet ($125 value) US/CAN RC – 5/29.

Thanks for linking. Feel free to leave a comment.

Photo Courtesy of Kozzi

I bet you’re teaching your kids responsibility, integrity, and compassion, not to mention, reading, writing, and arithmetic. That’s all well and good, but it is not the subject of today’s discussion. I want to talk about clothes—the dirty kind.

When I was a college freshman, the dormitory offered some tasty people watching. In particular, I was fascinated by the dorm’s laundry room.

I discovered three types of people: those who did their own laundry, those who were learning, and those who saved their dirty socks for their mother. I never once heard anyone say, “Dad will do my laundry when I get home.” That privilege was reserved for Dear Old Mom.

What’s the big deal with laundry?

Laundry represents those practical skills that a child needs to learn before they leave home. For me, it’s laundry, for you it could be cooking a meal, making a doctor’s appointment, or changing a flat tire.

Parents are busy and sometimes just don’t have the time to sweat the small stuff. But the “small stuff” is important. Otherwise, you’ve got a 20-year old who can’t shop for groceries, a 30-year old who can’t balance a checkbook, and a 40-year old who can’t, or won’t, move out of your basement.

How do you teach kids to do the little things?

It’s really a simple process, but it requires intentional parenting. Here are my three easy steps for teaching your kids to do stuff.

Step 1: Show your kids how stuff gets done. This is where you remove any illusion of a laundry fairy who swoops in to wash, dry, fluff, and fold. Don’t assume that your child understands the time and energy you put into maintaining a household. Let them shadow you for a day.

If you have to get the car serviced, your child sits in the waiting area. If you wash clothes, your child stands by the machine. For maximum value, turn off the television. With nothing but the sound of work filling the house, your child will really feel the full weight of your burden.

Step 2: Train your child to do stuff. It’s hard to imagine it, but there really was a time when you didn’t know how to polish the furniture or pay bills online. That is exactly the position your child is in. In Step 1, you showed them how stuff gets done. Now you want to set aside time for training. This does not have to be painful, in fact, catch your child at the right age and they’ll think washing dishes is fun.

Step 3: Practice doing more and more stuff. Chores are a great way to get your child on a regular schedule of doing stuff. The practical skills they learn will not only help you out, but they may also pick up skills that will help them in the future. For example, the seven-year-old who can sew a button may just end up a fashion designer.

Readers: What practical skills do you want your child to know before they graduate high school? What are your tips for teaching kids the “small stuff?”

Attempted suicide, bulimia, bullying—it’s not the opening you would expect from a book about college scholarships. Author Kristina Ellis revisits old wounds as she shares her journey from an impoverished youth to Vanderbilt graduate (with $500,000 in scholarships).

On Kristina’s first day of high school, her mother dropped a bomb on her. Kristina would have to put herself through college.

The family had fallen under the poverty line when Kristina’s father died years earlier. Paying for college seemed the impossible dream.

Can you relate?

I don’t think you can read this book without feeling inspired. It’s targeted towards high school students, but there is a message of hope that will likely resonant with many parents.

The advice is simple and practical. Your budding scholarship winner will learn how to:

• Get the right kinds recommendation letters
• Repackage scholarship applications to highlight their best qualities
• Meet scholarship deadlines and stay organized
• Uncover niche scholarship offerings
• Navigate the financial-aid maze

Best of all, Kristina’s advice is not just for the perfect student. As the author points out, she had imperfect grades and average SAT scores.

Unlike many scholarship books, this one is also about overcoming fear and letting go of the past.

Of course, Kristina didn’t stack all that scholarship cash without a lot of the ‘D’ word. Discipline. In that regard, Kristina encourages teens to view the scholarship process as the best-paying—part time job they’ll ever have.

Where I come from, $333 an hour is a lot of dough.

I’m grateful to the author for sharing her strategies and story. I would recommend this book to any student or parent in the scholarship hunt.

My only grievance—and it’s a minor one—is that I would have liked to see even more of Kristina’s strategies for finding scholarships. The instant book focuses primarily on how to apply for scholarships, rather than how to find them. Dare I ask for another book?

To my readers: Have you talked to your kids about paying for college? Did you know there are scholarships for young kids?

Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of the book in order to facilitate my review. I received no compensation for this post. Any and all reviews posted are based solely on my own experience and may be atypical. Please practice due diligence in making any related purchase decisions.

Photo Credit: CollegeDegree360

If thinking about your child’s college fund gets you down, you’re not alone. Parents frequently described their feelings about college savings as overwhelmed, annoyed, frustrated, or scared, in a recent study.

Don’t let college savings anxiety zap your energy and steal your hope. Here are five ways you can move from fearful to fearless.

1. Look your fear in the eyes. What is your greatest fear when it comes to saving for college? You don’t think you’ll save enough? You worry that your child won’t be able to afford their dream school?

Maybe you think that without a proper college fund, your child will fall in with the wrong crowd, start a life of crime, and end up the subject of a Lifetime movie.

Sit in a quiet room, close your eyes, and allow yourself to experience your worst college savings fear. Imagine that you didn’t save enough. Feel the weight of your child’s puppy dog eyes as you explain that they will have to earn scholarships or get a part-time job.

Would that be the end of the world? Not in my book.

As for that Lifetime movie, if your child goes apes over their college fund, you might be better off investing in counseling.

2. Shed the guilt. Just as breastfeeding doesn’t make you a better mother, paying for college doesn’t make you a better parent.

Even if your folks covered your tab, that does not obligate you to foot the entire bill or even a portion of your child’s college tuition.

Make your own decision about how much you will contribute to your child’s college education. Don’t let anyone—not even the kiddos—make you feel bad.

3. Stop pleading poor mouth. Recent changes to 529 Plans have made saving for college more flexible and affordable.

Grandparents can contribute more, 529 funds can be used for laptops and Internet service, and the management fees on some plans are dropping.

But I’m broke, you say.

You’re not powerless, even if you don’t have the cash for a college savings plan right now. Information is free. Educate yourself on your college savings options, including low cost plans.

Money man Dave Ramsey’s discussion of Educational Savings Accounts versus 529 plans is worth the quick read.

Learn your options. You never know when overtime at work or an unexpected windfall might jumpstart your college savings.

Photo Credit: Tax Credits

4. Hunt for scholarships early and often. Let someone else write the check for your child’s college education.

Free college money isn’t just for high school seniors. Awards are available for students as young as kindergarten on through graduate school.

Set aside time each week to research and apply for scholarships.

5. Make college planning a family affair. Your kids can be your secret weapon against college savings anxiety. They can:

• Brainstorm ways to trim the family budget to free up cash.
• Become a strong scholarship applicant (e.g. good grades, special skills, community service).
• Work a part-time job or start a small business.
• Research affordable colleges.

To my readers: Who do you think should pay for college? How does college planning make you feel (be honest)? What are your tips for conquering college savings anxiety?

Photo Courtesy of Kozzi

I’m always on the lookout for scholarships for young kids. Doodle 4 Google offers students as young as kindergarten a shot at a $30,000 scholarship, among other prizes.

The top winner’s artwork will be displayed on Google’s homepage. That’s right–your child’s masterpiece could go from your refrigerator door to the national stage.

Yes, it is a national contest. Last year Google received 114,000 submissions from students across all 50 states.

The numbers are a little intimidating.

That’s why I’ve enlisted two professional artists for advice on how parents can help their kids get those creative juices flowing.

Meet the experts

Artist Lin Wellford (LW) has sold more than one million books on the art of rock painting. Lin also teaches classes to help others discover how fun and easy it is to turn ordinary rocks into works of art.

Art Educator MaryAnn Kohl (MK) has written eight books for Bright Ring Publishing, Inc. on topics of art for children, their parents, teachers, and care providers, as well as 15 titles for Gryphon House, Inc.

Brainstorm ideas like a pro

The theme for the 2013 Doodle 4 Google Contest is “My Best Day Ever…”

1. Kids have wonderful, unique thoughts. They are not adult thoughts, which is what makes them so unique, wondrous, often simple and creative. (MK)

2. The theme, “My Best Day Ever”, could be any experience the child has had, or will have, from large to small, from memory or an imagined future event. (MK)

3. Brainstorming can mean having your child daydream about their favorite activity, or talking with your child about things that happened in the past months. (LW)

4. Looking at old pictures can help your child recall places or events that were important. (LW)

5. Conversing with a child helps them tune in to possibilities without the adult dictating what the child is thinking. (MK)

Doing the work

6. I like to combine brainstorming and sketching, making cartoony drawings that capture the action of things I am thinking about. These sketches can sometimes pull you into thinking of how to create a design. (LW)

7. As a professional artist, I next would make “thumbnail” drawings, sort of trying out some different ways that my picture could be composed. It helps to be very loose and not too detailed, to just let your imagination run in different directions. (LW)

8. Another way a parent can help is to read the instructions and procedure, and help the child submit their work properly. (MK)

9. Give your child nice paper or art tools if needed, and otherwise be a helper. (MK)

10. In no way should the parent change wording or put their own thoughts into the work. (MK)

11. I also suggest that kids practice a little before making their final work to smooth out their expression and refine their message. (MK)

Managing the deadline

The deadline for the 2013 Doodle 4 Google Contest is March 22.

12. Parents can help by participating in scheduling the stages of thinking, planning and making the art, gently reminding their child about sticking to mutually agreed upon deadlines. (LW)

13. Another thing I find helpful is to create a little space in my schedule where I set the project aside for a day or two. When I come back and look at my designs, usually I will see one that stands out, or a way to combine several of them to make one that is even better. (LW)

14. Consider having a celebration for your child after the project is finished and submitted, because whether they win or lose the contest, they have accomplished something important just by getting it done. (LW)

Managing your child’s expectations

15. Most important is to talk about contests and that some people win and some people lose, and that if you enter a contest, you should expect all possibilities and not have hurt feelings. (MK)

16. Only children who truly want to participate in a contest should. If this is more for the parent, then the parent may need to give up the idea if the child is not on board. (MK)

17. There’s plenty of time for competition in life. However, if the child is willing and knows the possibilities of winning and losing both, then the parent can help the child read the submission instructions and send off the child’s entry. (MK)

18. Help your child understand that there is not a ‘right or wrong’ way to make art. It is merely the opinion of the judges for that contest as to which design best satisfied the criteria. (LW)

19. Learning to lose graciously is a very important life skill, especially when the selection process is subjective, as it tends to be with the arts. (LW)

Final thoughts

20. Parents should try not to give the child too much help or direction with the actual work. The parent can provide supplies, and the child provides the thoughts and actual work. (MK)

21. If your child smiles or laughs while they are making art, it will show in their finished work. (LW)

There you have it, folks. If your child is up for the contest, encourage them to start doodling for Google today.

Good luck!

To my readers: How would your child describe their best day ever? What cool artwork has your child done lately?

For your reading pleasure (Note: I’m an Amazon affiliate):

Photo Courtesy of Have Fun Teaching

My daughter all but yawned at the first few alphabet videos I found on YouTube. I’d just about given up—at least for the morning—when we came across a Martian-like creature with a grin as wide as a football field.

I pressed play. Within seconds my toddler was grooving. She was as excited about her ABCs as an episode of Dora the Explorer.

Still, I had questions about this Martian man. I headed to the Have Fun Teaching website to investigate.

Mark Luchauer is not from another planet, but his website is out of this world. As an elementary school teacher, Mark saw the need for high quality teaching resources. His fellow teachers, like many of us parents, had little time to create the kind of teaching tools that put the joy in learning.

With a little seed money, and a passion for education, Mark launched Have Fun Teaching. The website is loaded with free stuff including worksheets, coloring pages, flash cards, activities, songs, and lesson plan ideas.

Have Fun Teaching also offers a buffet of educational videos that teach numbers and shapes, as well as how to be responsible and caring. Here’s the video my daughter fell in love with:

Let’s get to the giveaway.

Thanks to Have Fun Teaching, one lucky reader will win their choice of video download.

There is one (1) mandatory entry of commenting on the blog post. You may fill out as many entries as you wish on the Rafflecopter form and you can visit daily to earn more entries and increase your chance to win! Giveaway ends midnight EST on March 14. Winner announced March 15.

Disclaimer: Have Fun Teaching provided the prize in order to facilitate the giveaway. I received no compensation for this post. Any and all reviews posted are based solely on my own experience and may be atypical. Please practice due diligence in making any related purchase decisions. I think Have Fun Teaching is an awesome company with valuable products. As such, I have signed up as an affiliate. This post contains affiliate links.

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Photo Courtesy of FreeRange

It’s a challenge to find college scholarships for young kids, but March is ripe with opportunities for students as young as kindergarten. If your child isn’t quite old enough, I hope you’ll join me in marking your calendar for future contests.

Young Naturalist Award (Deadline March 1)

The Young Naturalist Awards is a research-based science competition hosted by the American Museum of Natural History. Students in grades 7-12 are invited to conduct their own scientific investigation and write an essay on their findings.

Cash prizes range from $500 to $2500 for winning essays.

This contest offers your child a chance to explore the world around them. Pay close attention to the rules, they are detailed. Essays must include tables, charts, or graphs, and artwork, and photographs that help illustrate the findings.

Just in case you were thinking it, projects involving human subjects are ineligible. No exceptions.

Fortunately, the AMNH offers advice for selecting a project. The museum has also posted every winning essay since 1998.

Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program (Deadline March 15)

Kohl’s will award 2300 young volunteers, age 6-18, with more than $425,000 in scholarships and prizes. Top winners will each receive $10,000 for higher education.

Winners are selected based on the benefits and outcomes of their volunteer service.

Indeed, there are scholarships for young kids. The 2012 National Winners list includes five kids under the age of 12.

Their service projects ranged from a six-year old who sells homemade pins to benefit Ronald McDonald House to a nine-year old who started a nonprofit that sends cards and care packages to firefighters and military personnel.

If your child has a track record of community service, get your nomination in pronto. If not, help your child flex their volunteer muscle with these virtual volunteering opportunities.

Junior Duck Stamp Contest (Deadline March 15; varies by state)

Draw a duck. Win $5,000. Okay, it’s a little more complicated than that.

Students in kindergarten through 12^th grade can win various prizes with their best drawing of an eligible North American waterfowl.

Winners from the state competitions, called the “Best of Show,” are submitted to the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest.

One image from the 53 Best of Show entries will become the next Junior Duck Stamp. That’s right, your child’s work could appear on a U.S. stamp.

And let’s not forget the prizes for national winners:

• First Place – $5,000
• Second Place – $3,000
• Third Place – $2,000
• Conservation Message First Place – $500

Check out the contest rules and submit your child’s entry to your state coordinator.

Remember, the hunt for scholarships isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon. If you miss the deadline, mark your calendar for next year. And the year after that…

To my readers: Which contest do you think your child might be interested in? If you could turn any of your child’s artwork into a stamp, which would it be? What other types of contests do you want to hear about?

Photo Courtesy of FreeRange

Good grades, high SAT scores, and glowing recommendations are great. But they won’t get your child very far if every other applicant has the same bag of tricks.When it comes to college admissions, a hook is a unique quality that makes the applicant stand out from the pack.

Whether your student is perfecting their finger painting or approaching senior year, you can use these methods to find their X Factor.

1. Volunteer with tunnel vision. What if your teen could honestly tell the admissions board that she discovered her passion for helping others at the age of five?

Volunteer work is good for the spirit, and the community. There’s no need to feel guilty if your child’s college application benefits, as well.

Even very young children can volunteer with virtual opportunities that can be done from home or anywhere. They key is to devote your family’s energy to one or two projects. If you spread yourself too thin, your work won’t make much impact on the community or college applications.

2. Get cultured. Classical music, fine art, a string of white pearls—whatever your mental image of what it means to be cultured, ball it up and throw it in the trash. Come on. Ball it up. Go left. Go right. Dunk. Score!

Simply put, culture is the beliefs, values, activities, or characteristics of a group. Get your child out of their world and into someone else’s. This could mean a stop at the museum or it could mean a trip to visit family on the opposite coast.

Don’t want to leave the house? Magazines, books, and even television shows are great portals to other cultures. Think Discovery Channel.

3. Enter a merit-based contest. Put those “my kid is cuter” contests on hold. Merit-based competitions are great for discovering the skills and talents that will eventually land on a college or scholarship application.

Best of all, many contests for kids have some pretty cool prizes. Check out:

• PBS Kids Go! Writers Contest
• National Geographic Kids Photography Contest
• Jif Most Creative Sandwich Contest
• Doodle 4 Google – Art Contest

4. Head to the public library. Educational websites and apps are cool, but sometimes you need to feel paper between your fingers.

Let your child run wild…okay, walk wild, and quietly, from isle to isle. Since most library resources are free, you can pick up books and audio recordings on a variety of topics.

You may discover that your child is the world’s next top basket weaving, pastry designing, media mogul. It’s all in a book.

5. Ask the question of all questions. Will you marry me? No. Not that question.

What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s an oldie, but goodie. Your child’s career plans reveal what they think is cool, important, and possible.

Don’t expect a “what is your X Factor?” line on a college application. You (or rather, your child) will never find such an animal. But you can help them raise out of the LMO (Like Many Others) stack by highlighting those things that make them one of a kind.

To my readers: What is your child’s X Factor? What do your kids want to be when they grow up? Parents, what do you want to be when you grow up?