With the economy still in crisis and thousands of Americans out of work, it’s no surprise that our schools are suffering from budget cuts. Our local school district tried to pass a referendum last year to increase their budget so that extra-curricular activities (sports, music, arts) would not be cut as well as to prevent layoffs of several teachers. The referendum failed and schools resorted to familiar methods of bringing in the money: fundraisers, bake sales, and recruiting parent volunteers to fill the voids the layoffs left behind.
Now that Dawson is in kindergarten he is always bringing home newsletters and special notes about all the efforts the school is making to raise money. We’ve sold magazine subscriptions to family and friends. We sold chocolates and gift items. Student fees increased from $20 a year to $35. Just last week my son brought home another fundraiser. Now we’re selling organic produce grown by local farmers. A percentage of money raised will go to the school, and a donation of food as well as money will go to a local church that hosts a Thanksgiving Meal for homeless in our area. Next week I have to make dozens of cupcakes for a bake sale. The fundraisers never end.
Most of the money needed is to keep the fun activities kids can participate in after school, as well as for field trips and other learning needs. It makes me sad that our kids suffer by going without these things. School is for learning, but learning should be fun.
On the flip side, I understand how our community voted against the referendum. There are so many residents who have lost their jobs and are doing their best to make ends meet. They just can’t afford the raise in taxes. As someone who was jobless for 9 months, I know exactly how they feel.
I was very excited to learn that Bing is holding a contest called Our School Needs where students can write an essay telling Bing what their school needs (a science lab? a new art department? classrooms equipped with computers and other technology?). They can work in groups, classes, or even school-wide to write an essay and take pictures finishing the sentence “Our School Needs: ___________.” To enter:
•Write an essay (500 to 800 words)
•Take pictures (3 to 5 photos)
•Film a video (not required, but fun! Maximum of 3 minutes in length)
Who Can EnterAny student or teacher from a K-12 school can enter. While students under 18 are encouraged to create the entry, a parent, legal guardian or a teacher must submit it.
Bing will award a quarter-million dollars, divided among four schools—$50,000 to three first-prize winners, and one $100,000 grand prize. Pretty darn cool, right?
Check out this video:
What are you waiting for? There’s still time to enter! Entries will be accepted until midnight on Sunday, October 24, with voting remaining open until Tuesday, October 26th.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Bing and received a DonorsChoose.org giving code and gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.
Have you tried Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta? You should. It’s delicious. And it’s good for you.
The best thing about Ronzoni is that it’s the first “white” pasta to be enriched with Fiber, Calcium and Vitamin D, so I can feed my family something healthy as well as tasty. Ronzoni Smart taste has the Calcium and Vitamin D equivalent to one 8-ounce glass of milk.
While I’d never replace any food for milk, I do love that we’re getting enough calcium in our bodies to prevent brittle bones and osteoporosis. This pasta is lower in calories and fat, too, which I think will keep those extra pounds off my middle.My husband was skeptical at first, but I pleaded with him to just try it. Here’s the dish we made:
Looks delish, doesn’t it? Check this view out:
Yes, we really did garnish our pasta with green onions — it was fabulous.
Ronzoni Smart Taste isn’t a whole-grain pasta, but it is super nutritious and everyone in my family loved. Even little Owen had a few noodles. He loved playing with the box, too:
While I’ve always been a fan of whole-wheat pasta (I blame it on my obsession with carbs and not eating many of them), this brand really does taste just like the plain old semolina our mothers and grandmothers bought. I can’t tell the difference between the two.
Getting our kids to eat better quality and healthier foods can be a major challenge. Our lives are busy and it’s easier to pick whatever is available, but switching to Ronzoni is a small step to better health.
If you’d like to try Ronzoni Smart Taste, click here to get a coupon for 75 cents off.
“I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Ronzoni and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review and photo contest entry. In addition, I received a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”
I’ve been working with the fabulous consultants at Mom Central for quite some time and was offered the opportunity to test drive some awesome baby products from Infantino. I’m on my second go-round of motherhood and while I saved most of the gear I used with Dawson, I realized how worn out it had become because he played hard with his toys.
Infantino sent three products for us to try: the Twist & Fold Activity Gym, the Fold & Go Bouncer, and the Jumbo Wheel Play Space. When the box arrived I was very excited to rip it open and see what was inside. My first impression was very positive. These products are bright and colorful without being too busy and over-stimulating. I love the jungle themed activity mat with the lion, monkey and elephant hanging down from the crossbars. Owen loves the activity gym as evidenced here:
Infantino Fold & Go Activity Gym
The Jumbo Wheel Play Space is so much fun! There are so many things that grab his attention, from the rings to the squeaker in the elephant’s hat, to the crinkly ears on the elephant and monkey. Check out this happy baby:
He is fascinated with mirrors and both these toys include them in the fun. My little loves to look at “the baby” in the mirror. It’s even more fun when he catches a glimpse of Mommy, Daddy or Big Brother Dawson in it, too. We took this wheel mat to the park with us and five other moms commented on how big the play space is and how much they love the colors.
Lastly, we received the bouncer. Owen is just growing too quickly; the chunky monkey barely fits in the seat, but he still loves the toy bar and the vibrating chair:
I love that this bouncer can go anywhere! It folds flat and fits nicely in the trunk (along with the stroller and diaper bag and every other baby item imaginable!). It has soothing vibrations, and by pressing a button you get a heartbeat and 2 nature sounds as well as three different melodies and volume control. This bouncer is full of options for being so compact!
My best friend recently gave birth to her first child and I’ve recommended Infantino products to her because I truly believe that Infantino puts a lot of thought into their products. Not only do they care about our precious babies, but they come up with unique designs and features that appeal to us picky parents, too. Kudos to you, Infantino!
For more information about these products click the links above or visit www.infantino.com.
When it’s time for Dawson to brush his teeth, getting him to do it properly is like…well, pulling teeth. He insists on doing it himself, but he hates the way toothpaste tastes so he rushes through the routine of dental hygiene.
Enter Sonicare for kids. Dentists recommend that kids brush a minimum of two minutes twice daily. To make teeth brushing more fun Sonicare created a power toothbrush, designed for kids ages 4-10, that offers patented sonic technology and other cool features.
We had the opportunity to try the Sonicare toothbrush thanks to the folks at Mom Central. When it arrived I cracked open the package and told Dawson he had a new, fun toothbrush to try. He was less than thrilled, but after charging the battery we tested it out.
The toothbrush itself is made of sturdy rubber with an ergonomic handle. It offers two brush head sizes to clean teeth at key developmental stages (one for kids 4+ years, another for kids 7+ years). The sonic technology creates powerful yet gentle vibrations to aid in reaching between teeth and along the gum line in two power modes (high and low). The KidTimer feature sets brushing time for the different modes. High power mode uses 30-second intervals for the full dentist-recommended 2 minutes of brushing. In low power mode, brushing duration slowly increases from 1 minute to 2. This helps young children gradually reach 2 minutes of brushing. Time increases every time a full brushing cycle is completed.
During brushing, the KidPacer feature uses a few musical notes to alert the child to move to the next brushing section of
the mouth. Parents must instruct their child to move to a different section after each set of notes. At the end of the brushing cycle, a congratulatory tune will play and the toothbrush will automatically turn off.
The Sonicare brush offers 3 changeable face plates making it easy for kids to personalize their toothbrush, and a charging station with brush head holder.
Dawson likes the Sonicare brush better than his regular toothbrush. The KidTimer helps him to gage how long to brush and the KidPacer makes it easier for me to be certain his teeth and gums are truly clean. I am very impressed with this product. It’s unique compared to other products like the spin brushes on the market.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Sonicare and received a free Sonicare For Kids toothbrush to facilitate my review.
Dana began her Mom career in 2004 with the birth of her first son, Dawson, aka The Doodlebug, and little brother, Owen, was born in 2009. She spends her days putting out fires, climbing mountains and chasing monsters. More About Dana.
Contact: thedanafilesblog [at] gmail [dot] com RSS Feed
