Today’s Free Amazon Download

Head over to amazon today and download Happily Married With Kids: It’s Not a Fairy Tail for free.  Hurry because prices change fast!

Nora Ephron said that “having an infant is like tossing a hand grenade into a marriage.” Carol Ummel Lindquist, who has spent twenty-five years as a marital therapist, agrees wholeheartedly. She says that sixty-seven percent of couples with children are less happy than they were before kids–largely because of unrealistic expectations. Some of Lindquist’s advice seems simplistic (“Try to go one hour, one day or one week without criticizing anything,”) but perhaps simple is the best place to start for couples trying to function on four hours of sleep. Happily Married With Kids has chapters on constructive fighting, how to find quality childcare, and ways couples can revitalize a lackluster sex life. While the topic of new-parenthood has been covered before, this is still a worthy reference for couples short on sleep and patience, but desperately in need of quick solutions to bring the fun and connection back to their marriage. –Erica Jorgensen

Totsy

One of my new obsessions is www.totsy.com.  Totsy is an online shopping store that has exclusive name-brand items on sale everyday!  There is a limited amount and a limited time, which if you as me, makes the already very exciting process of online shopping even better!  At any given time they are having sales up to 85% off on all different types of items ranging from baby clothes, supplies and toys.  They’ve got moms covered too!  Items ranging from clothes to glassware will have you perusing Totsy for quite some time!  And the best part – you can always view upcoming sales so if you’ve had your eye on something super-chic it may just be half-off tomorrow!

Chickabug

Chickabug is one of my new favorite sites.  It’s a haven for party planners, offering themes, personalized decorations, invitations and so much more.  With my son’s 1st birthday around the corner, I’m in party planning heaven (unbeknownst to my husband, shhhh!).

Need a little inspiration?  Click here.

Thinking of a theme?  Try this.

Want to check out their etsy site?  Click here.

Not sure you want to host a party?  You’ll change your mind after clicking here.

What is your favorite theme?  Send us pictures of a party you’ve hosted, we’d love to see what you’ve done!

Love Tiny Prints?

Head over to Zulily today for $20 worth of products at Tiny Prints for only $10.  Can we say deal?  Tiny Prints is the place for invitations, announcements, stationary, gifts and more.  Have you ordered from Tiny Prints before?  What has been your expereince?  I’m a lover of Zulily, too, so if you haven’t already signed up, do it.  They have amazing deals on all things family.

giggle

While wandering through Scottsdale Quarter recently, I came across an absolutely amazing baby store, giggle.  I fell in love with their products and mission in-store (pssst, they hold storytimes twice a week, too!), but then I found their website.  Aaahhhaaahhhaaa…it quickly became my new obsession.  I spent countless hours deciding what products I just had.to.have, reading their blog, checking out their deals and then I came across The Cradle.  It is an amazing resource filled with information, tools, chat rooms, and so much more.  Now the real kicker, giggle recently released an app for the smart phone that allows you to register for your baby shower or party with your phone!  Say so long to those ugly scanners we all lugged around and say hello to the future.  Oh, how I wish I had known about this when I was pregnant.  Leave us a comment and tell us about your giggle expereince.

Barnes & Noble Online Storytime

Barnes and Noble has a great portion of their site dedicated to online storytime.  They have numerous popular children’s books to choose from (If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Pinkalicious, and many more) read by authors and celebrities right on the computer.  I love getting kids exciting about reading, so click here to check it out.

As a former teacher, I know the importance of reading to our children each and every day.  Sure, easier said than done, I know but it really is thatimportant.  I will try not to get preachy on you, but here is what some of the research is saying?

Here are 12 of the key reasons to start (or continue) reading aloud to your kids today.

1.  Build a lifelong interest in reading. “Getting kids actively involved in the process of reading, and having them interact with adults, is key to a lifelong interest in reading,” said BeAnn Younker, principal at Battle Ground Middle School in Indiana.

2.  Children whose parents read to them tend to become better readers and perform better in school, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

3.  Reading to kids helps them with language and speech development.

4.  It expands kids’ vocabulary and teaches children how to pronounce new words.

5.  Reading to toddlers prepares them for school, during which they will need to listen to what is being said to them (similar to what they do while being read to).

6.  Reading to older kids helps them understand grammar and correct sentence structure.

7.  Kids and parents can use reading time as bonding time. It’s an excellent opportunity for one-on-one communication, and it gives kids the attention they crave.

8.  Being read to builds children’s attention spans and helps them hone their listening skills.

9.  Curiosity, creativity and imagination are all developed while being read to.

10.  Being read to helps kids learn how to express themselves clearly and confidently.

11.  Kids learn appropriate behavior when they’re read to, and are exposed to new situations, making them more prepared when they encounter these situations in real life.

12.  When read to, children are able to experience the rhythm and melody of language even before they can understand the spoken or printed word.

via Reading Aloud to Kids: The 12 Benefits of Reading Books Out Loud to Children of All Ages.

So get out there and start raising a reader, it’s never too early!

Free Amazon Download Book for Kids

Here‘s another free download from Amazon, but this one is for the kids in your life.  These come in really handy while you’re sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office or even snuggled up on the couch.  Let’s get our kiddos exposed to books in all forms.  Download it to your kindle, smart phone or computer today! This offer won’t stick around long.

 

Great Schools

As a parent and former teacher, I know how stressful it is to pick “the” school for your child.  Your child’s future success rides on the decision you make, so it’s important to do the right research and choose the best school for your family.  To help you with this daunting task, check out greatschools.org.  It’s an amazing resource for parents and gives honest feedback from families as well as state standardized test scores to assure you make the most informed decision for your child.  It’s not limited to elementary, middle or high schools either.  This great site even has stats on your local preschools and colleges.  It’s a wealth of information, check it out.