Happy Halloween! We hope that you and your trick or treaters have a safe night out! Please remember that Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving this (and every) evening, so be sure to designate a driver if you are attending a party or event where alcohol is being served.

If you’re holding an event where you will be serving drinks to your guests, make sure that you have some non-alcoholic options on hand for those who must drive. The Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving Facebook page has collected some fun drink recipes that you can try. You can also find alternative ride services to help your guests who might have had a bit more than they should to find a safe way home!

Please join us in taking the pledge never to drive buzzed at the Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving website and spread the word to your friends and family to take the pledge, as well. You could be saving the life of someone you love!

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind! Starting with our weekend away in Lancaster, PA for the Day Out With Thomas event and other fun local attractions (a whole series of posts about that bunch of awesome coming this week) and continuing through the SheStreams conference last weekend, I’ve been an on-the-go gal. Finally this weekend I’m finally getting a few minutes to digest all of the excitement and settle back into routine.

On Friday afternoon, A came home a little early from work and we set off on our adventure. It’s only about a 2 ½ to 3 hour drive to the Lancaster area for us, so unlike our Disney road trips, there was no need for an early start. The boys could barely contain their excitement, as they knew we were headed off to visit an old and dear friend – Thomas the Tank Engine.

We checked into the hotel for the evening (more coming about that later) and grabbed a bite to eat. I was bribed into taking the kids for a short swim in the indoor pool/water playground and then brought them back for bed. We needed to get some rest before our big day!

They were up with the sun, as usual, and we headed toward Strasburg, ready for an exciting Day Out with Thomas.  Our first stop was the Choo-Choo Barn, which was a perfect warm up for our upcoming train rides. It was too cool for just a paragraph, so it’s getting its own post tomorrow.

After spending some time marveling over the awesome model train layouts and popping into the Thomas store there, it was time to head up the road for our turn to ride the True Blue Engine! While the boys have seen and ridden Thomas once before, the excitement level when they first laid eyes on him this trip was the same. “There he is! It’s the REAL Thomas!”

He's a really useful engine!

We arrived on site around 11:30, but weren’t scheduled for our turn on the train until 1:45. We picked up our tickets and decided to venture across the street to the Train Museum as our first stop. If you attend a Day Out with Thomas event in Strasburg, DO NOT skip this museum. While it is not part of the event itself and is an additional cost, it is well worth the expense if you’ve got train lovers in your family.

After checking out all the engines, coaches and train cars on display at the museum, we strolled back outside to spend some time enjoying the Day Out with Thomas extras. The hand cars are probably our #1 favorite thing to do, beyond riding the train itself. The best thing about the cars if you ask the boys? Bumping each other. Go figure.

Catch me if you can, big bro!

Once they had their turn there, it was almost time for the train! We walked around for a couple more minutes while we waited for the line to open up for our session, deciding what we were hitting next and then got in line for Thomas, just in time for the sky to open up and pour on us.

A little rain couldn’t dampen our spirits though! We still climbed aboard with a spring in our step and settled in to a coach that the boys decided was “Clarabel”. If you attend a Day Out with Thomas event, be sure to take advantage of the photographers who wander through the train snapping family pictures. While the prints are a little pricey($20 for 2 4×6 prints with novelty cardboard display frames), if you’re like me, pictures that include everyone are few and far between.

Excuse my drowned rat look...like I said, the sky opened up on us right before we boarded.

Once we finished our Thomas ride, we had about an hour left to take advantage of the other events that were offered on site as part of our tickets. We took a spin on the mini steam engine (so cool!!), got Thomas tattoos, spent a little time playing on the train and Mega Blocks tables that were set up under the big tent, and of course, did a little souvenir shopping. There were other train rides, plus photo opps with Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt, however we choose to skip these due to lines and the time crunch.

D's getting inked!

Coolest little mini steam engine!

We finished our day with a second train ride on the regular Strasburg Railroad steam train (not included in our Thomas ticket), which was the perfect way to relax for a few minutes before heading back to the hotel to change for dinner.

Told you someone needed a little downtime before we went back to change...

The Day Out with Thomas events are definitely a crowd-pleaser for families whose children love Thomas or any kind of train. There is plenty to do that is included in the ticket price, plus lots of other extras at-cost. My only complaint was that the free offerings closed at around 3:30. I wish we’d had more time to squeeze in a little more! I hadn’t realized that when I decided to do other things first. I am so happy that we had another chance to spend a day with Thomas. Once again, we made memories that our boys will treasure forever.

Interested in attending a Day Out with Thomas Event yourself? Visit the Day Out with Thomas website to see dates through the end of the year (it will return to Strasburg in November) and keep checking back for information about next year’s tour!

Disclosure: We received free tickets to the Day Out with Thomas event in Strasburg, PA in exchange for this post. All opinions are our own.

While my boys are all out of car seats and into boosters (and old enough to drive, as the case may be), child passenger safety is always an important subject to me. Though we’re past the days of the LATCH system and the five-point harness and into the phase of “Yes, you MUST sit in the booster and NO, you cannot just sit in a seat belt,” so many of the people we care about are not.

I wanted to make sure to spread the word to all of my friends here that this Saturday, September 24th is Seat Check Saturday. Stop by the NHTSA’s Child Passenger Safety site to get more information on car seat installation and check out their inspection station locator to find out about events in your area.

Take a look at your own car seats and make sure that they’re in good shape, haven’t expired and are the right size for your child’s age, height and weight. Making sure that our children are safe as possible while riding in the car could very well save their lives!

It’s been a bit since I’ve posted about our fascination with trains in this house. Our toy bins are still overflowing with our wheeled friends and just last night, I rolled over to find a couple of engines sharing my bed. Trains have held my boys attention and been a constant companion of theirs practically since they could sit up.

Two years ago, I indulged their fantasies and took them to Strasburg, PA for A Day Out with Thomas. I’ll never forget the looks on their faces as Thomas was before them, larger than life. K still talks about riding on the “real” Thomas, though D was still a little young then to remember it well.

This weekend, however, we have been offered tickets to experience the fun of A Day Out with Thomas, once again! We’ll also be visiting the Choo-Choo Barn, which we missed on our last trip and staying at a fabulous Lancaster hotel.

Watch my tweets this weekend for reports from our trip, plus posts next week with pictures and fun from our exciting trip to the Lancaster/Strasburg area! You can also see tweets from the @TrueBlueEngine himself!

Thomas is returning for another visit to the Strasburg Railroad, beginning this Saturday! Visit the  Day Out with Thomas Schedule for more information or to find out when Thomas is coming to your area and to reserve your own ride behind everyone’s favorite engine!

 Pulling out of the station for its 16th consecutive ride on the rails, the Day Out With Thomas: Leader of the Track Tour 2011 will visit more than 45 cities in the United States and Canada. Day Out With Thomas is the only place for families to take a ride with a 15-ton replica of everybody’s favorite No. 1 engine, Thomas the Tank Engine, and enjoy Thomas-themed activities at the Imagination Station, including stamps, temporary tattoos and hands-on arts and crafts.  Each year the tour grows, traveling to new destinations, adding new activities and welcoming new visitors.

As much as I am in denial that K is starting Kindergarten in a few weeks, to be followed by D next fall, I have been working as much as I can to get them prepared for school. They’re both home with me all day, so we rely on workbooks, computer games and educational TV shows to help them learn the early skills they’ll need to find success in school.

Recently I was given the opportunity to check out the new Team Umizoomi Preschool  Math Kits, featuring one of our Nickelodeon favorites – Team Umizoomi. The boys both love playing along with the show, so I was thrilled to hear that they were offering preschool curriculum, as well. The kit we received teaches sorting, classification and reasoning. All very important skills in math!

The Preschool Math Kits include a great full-color workbook and activity book with fun activities like spotting differences, figuring out order, choosing the right shape, coloring and much more. K is really enjoying doing the all of activities to help get ready for the start of the school year.

One of my favorite features of the kits are the Math Mission cards. Each card gives you a fun activity that you can do around the house. These are great for those “Mom, I’m boooored” moments when the kids are antsy and you’re short on ideas. Each has a fun learning component involved that can turn a few minutes of play into a helpful math lesson.

In addition to the activities within the workbooks and Mission cards, there’s a little math-related storytelling going on, as well. The boys got into the story and activities within the Playground Heroes DVD and storybook that were included in the kit. They were a perfect way to tie learning and fun together.

Each of the Team Umizoomi Preschool Math Kits include:

• A Team Umizoomi DVD
• A full color workbook
• A Team Umizoomi storybook
• 48 page activity book
• 24 Math Mission cards
• Team Umizoomi pencils and eraser

We will definitely be on the lookout for the other two kits that are available and hope to see even more learning fun in the future.

You can find the same Sorting, Classification and Reasoning math kit that we received or purchase one of their other two titles at the  Umizoomi shop and at ToysRUs. Or one of my lucky readers will have the opportunity to win a kit of their own!

Mandatory entry: Comment on this post and tell me what the biggest math challenge is for your kids, that you would like help with teaching.

Additional entries (main entry must be completed for additional entries to count)

• Tweet about the giveaway (no more than 2x per day)
• Subscribe to my feed
• Friend me on Google Friend Connect

Giveaway open to US residents only. Entries will close at 11:59 PM on August 22 and winner will be selected by Random.org and notified by email. Winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize or an alternate winner will be selected.

*product provided for review, opinions provided by me*

Giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Jennifer R, comment #52. You have been emailed and have 48 hours to claim your prize!

This post is part of the BlogHop Blog Conference at Home. To see the full agenda of learning sessions visit Blog Conference Newbie.

Blog Opps  – pretty much every blogger whose contact information is on their site gets offers for reviews, giveaways and even more often, informational press releases without a bottom line. So how do you take all of these offers of information, product and sometimes cash and decide which ones are right for you?

When you first start out and even sometimes along the way, it’s so tempting to snatch up every opportunity that comes along or to jump at an offer that’s not exactly a good fit, simply because the compensation is amazing. I mean, these companies want to give you something or send you on a fabulous trip! How can you say no?

But sometimes, you just need to say thanks, but no thanks. This won’t work for me.

How do you decide whether an opportunity is right for you? Ask yourself a few important questions before you say “YES!”

Does the product/company fit my brand?

Take a long, hard look at the product or service and the company behind it. Are you interested in the product? Will your readers care what you think about the product? Does it fit in with the other topics that you post about on your site? Is the company behind it someone that you want your name affiliated with? Those are all questions that you need to have resounding yeses to before accepting an offer.

Recently, I noticed Molly Gold of GoMomInc partnering with the Stow Company.  The main focus of Molly’s brand is organization; Stow offers organizational products. Molly is working with a company that offers products that her readers will naturally be drawn to solely by their purpose for visiting her site and Stow gets the benefit of a trusted voice in the blogging community endorsing their products. Win-win!

So what’s the non-niche blogger to do? Those whose blog has a specific focus, whether it be organization, infancy, green, food or any other topic, have it a little easier when it comes to deciding whether a sponsor is a natural fit their blog. The rest of us have our work cut out for us. We need to carefully analyze each offer and decide if it makes sense for both ourselves and our readers. If it doesn’t, we need to step away and wait for something that does. Our personal integrity depends on it. The level of trust we need to keep our readers coming back can be compromised when we start endorsing companies that simply don’t make sense, just to get the perks they’re offering.

Do I have time and resources to meet the requirements?

Be honest with yourself about your limitations. There is nothing worse than taking on too much and burning out on writing for others on your own site. Trust me. I’ve done it. Deadlines will start to slip past and be forgotten, review items will end up hidden in the closet for “later” and the things you do post will be rushed and low-quality. Or you’ll lose sleep to make sure that it all does get done, and other things in your life will suffer.

When choosing opportunities, think of your blog as a job. If you have only 10 available hours in the week to work on your blog, don’t schedule 20 hours worth of work. You aren’t going to get time and a half for those extra hours, you’re just going to get frustrated.

Look carefully at what they’re asking for, as well. Campaigns are often more than just a quick post or review. Sometimes there is a giveaway component or they might be requesting a vlog, which might require several takes and a quiet house. There could be a shop involved at a store that’s an hour away. All of that needs to factor in to your decision to sign on. Do you have the time to do the job and do it right?

Is the compensation worth my time?

There are ongoing discussions in the blogosphere about compensation levels and “selling out.” People are constantly taken aback by the decisions of some bloggers to “write for cupcakes”(hat tip to Christina Gleason at the first Type-A Town Hall for that phrase) while others are crying in their cornflakes that they didn’t even get offered a lick of icing for the time they spent crafting a post. No matter what the rest of the world thinks, the only thing that matters is whether you feel fairly compensated. What might be a fabulous opportunity to you, sounds like a company trying to get something for nothing to the next person.

Disagree? Put yourself in the shoes of the SAHM blogger whose husband was just laid off from his job. When Bob’s Burger Barn comes to her with a $25 gift card that will let her take her family out to eat, in exchange for the hour it takes her to write a sponsored post, that sounds like heaven! Should she turn down that offer so that Bob will get the picture and offer more for the rest of us the next time around or should she jump at the chance and make her family happy for a night?

Deciding whether the compensation is worth your time is completely personal. There may even be cases where you believe in a cause or a product so much that you feel that it would be a great fit and worth it to you to write without any compensation. And that’s OKAY! It’s your space – Own it and be happy with what you’re accepting!

Also, don’t be afraid to ask for more from a company than what is initially offered, if it’s simply not enough. Reply back that you’re interested in working with them and offer them your personal rates and requirements. The worst they can say is no.

Will my involvement benefit the company?

As much as we like to think that pitches and blog opps are all about us, we do need to take into consideration how our involvement in a campaign will benefit its sponsor.  If you look at a pitch and think to yourself “I can really use that $100 and I do like the products, but none of my readers are going to click that link (or like that page or enter this giveaway),” it’s probably a good idea to turn it down.

While lining your pockets is a huge priority to you, it’s also about bottom-line for the sponsors as well. If they have to report back to their supervisors that the campaign they just spent thousands of dollars on was a total flop, they’re not going to get budget to come back for more. When you take on campaigns that you know won’t do well, you might get a few bucks in your pocket or a fun product, but you could be taking away that opportunity for other bloggers in the future.

There are no set in stone parameters for what makes a good blog opportunity. What works for me and my readers, might not sound so great to you and yours. It’s up to each of us to take responsibility for our own decisions and decide what fits best. Choose the opportunities that make sense to you personally, editorially and financially and leave the rest on the table for someone who would fit them better.

How do you decide which opportunities to accept?

I can’t believe it’s been three years. I miss you, Mama. Part of me will always be broken without you.

]]> http://www.fromcribstocarkeys.com/2011/07/homesick/feed/ 2 http://www.fromcribstocarkeys.com/2011/03/wordless-wednesday-preparing-for-pixie-dust/ http://www.fromcribstocarkeys.com/2011/03/wordless-wednesday-preparing-for-pixie-dust/#comments Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:47:37 +0000 Shannan http://www.fromcribstocarkeys.com/?p=1048

We’re on our way to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration! Here’s a few pics of the kids’ highlights to tide you over until this year’s event posts!

Organization is something of a dirty word around my house. I get one area cleaned up, and by the time I get through the next one, the first is a disaster zone again. I’ve never been one to claim to be domestic, by any means and I came by it honestly. I grew up in a house where the house being clean was not the #1 priority, so it’s never been mine either.

One of my biggest organizational challenges in my own home is simply the amount of storage space we have. There can’t be a place for everything when you have more stuff than you have places. The toys are overflowing the bins in the kids’ room, the closets are stuffed full. There are even boxes of junk that we “might need” sitting in the bathroom corner. It’s a bit of a nightmare. I need to weed out and store smarter!

I was recently sent a copy of Pretty Neat by Alicia Rockmore and Sarah Welch, the creators of Buttoned Up, for review. This book is packed full of organizational tips that might just be the ticket to getting my organizational life on track. While I haven’t yet had a chance to put the tips into practice, I’m excited to dive into reorganizing my life soon.

One of the main focuses of the book is letting go of perfection. I’m something of a messy perfectionist, myself. The chapter about Eliminating Excuses, the authors address one of my own biggest issues, reminding us that it’s okay if things aren’t done perfectly. I tend to put off tasks until I have the time to do them thoroughly, rather than working on them gradually when time allows.

The book includes plenty of tips to make getting your home life, work life and even your inbox under control easier. Even with these great ideas that are shared, I love that this book isn’t a step-by-step, one-size-fits-all instruction manual. It gets you thinking about what’s important for you and what will work for you, to keep your home happy and stress free.

*WIN IT*

I have been given the opportunity to give away a copy of Pretty Neat to one of my readers! That winner will also be entered in a giveaway for a $200 gift card to help with their organizational goals and a selection of Buttoned Up products ($50 value), being drawn from winners across this blog tour.

To Enter: Tell me the biggest organizational challenge in your home. What’s the one area or flaw that keeps you from being your best?

For extra entries (main entry must be completed first)

• Tweet about the giveaway (no more than 2x per day)
• Subscribe to my feed
• Friend me on Google Friend Connect

Giveaway will end at 11:59 PM on 3/21. Winner will be drawn by Random.org and will have 48 hours to claim their prize or a replacement winner will be drawn. US Entries only, please.

*Product provided for this review, opinions are my own*

Here’s the post where I admit my addiction to coffee. Shocking, right? I sorta kinda have to start my day with coffee (or some other form of caffeine) or I am seriously not a fun person to be around. Besides the addiction, I find nothing more enjoyable than relaxing with a latte…or cappuccino…or some other delicious coffee-based concoction. It’s my vice, what can I say.

Besides my dependency issues, I have another issue with coffee – waste. I cannot stand the thought of wasting perfectly good coffee, even if it’s gone cold in the pot. Only once it’s gone cold in the pot, it’s hardly perfectly good coffee anymore, is it?

Every morning, A gets up and makes a pot of coffee. He drinks one cup and leaves for work. I get up an hour or two later and can’t bring myself to toss the coffee out. I nuke it and go on with the day. Yep, every weekday I get stuck with secondhand coffee. It’s sad. I know.

When the opportunity arose to review a Tassimo T20 Brewbot, thanks to the Holiday Extravaganza, I couldn’t turn it down. I’ve been lusting after a single-serve coffeemaker for ages, but just couldn’t bring myself to take the plunge.

The Tassimo T20 is very easy to use. Fill it with water, pop in your T DISC of choice and push the start button. Within a minute or so, you’ve got a fresh, hot cup of coffee, all ready to go. You know what this means? No more reheated coffee for me! We can each make our own fresh cup in the mornings! And without pouring a drop down the drain!

The coolest thing about it is that you don’t need to adjust the water amount for each cup. The T DISCs are barcoded and the machine reads each bar code and knows just how much water to use to make the perfect beverage. Want yours a little stronger? You can adjust the strength manually by holding down the start button when the indicator light comes on.

One of the things that worried me the most about a single-serve coffee maker is the cost of the discs. I’ve seen other brands whose products are very pricey, but Tassimo carries a wide range of coffee brands, giving options for most any budget. The Maxwell House Café’ Collection T DISCs start at $5.99 for 16 servings. While that’s a bit more expensive than a standard can of ground coffee, it’s still quite reasonable. Higher end brands are available, as well, including specialty drinks from Starbucks, Gevalia and more.

The first thing I tried when I opened up my Brewbot was the Starbucks Cappuccino Primo. Making the cappuccino was a two step process, with one  T DISC for the steamed cream and a second for the espresso, but it took almost no time at all. The result? A very tasty beverage, comparable to what you would get in a coffee house. Good stuff!

Not a coffee drinker? There are T DISCs available for a number of different teas, as well as hot chocolate. I plan on picking up some hot chocolate soon, to enjoy with the kids over the holidays.

Want one? You can find the Tassimo T20 Brewbot, as well as the full line of T DISCs at the Brewbot website. The T20 retails for $129.99.

Want to win one? Tassimo has generously provided a T20 Brewbot for me to give away to a reader!

To enter to win: Visit the Brewbot website and come back and tell me what type of T-disc you would like to try.

For extra entries, you may tweet about the giveaway and leave a separate comment for each entry. (No more than 2 tweets per day, please)

US entries only, please. Giveaway will end on 12/22 at 11:59 PM EST. Winner will be drawn by Random.org and contacted by email. Winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be drawn.

As a member of the Holiday Extravaganza Digital Campaign, this post has been sponsored by Playmobil. I have received a sample of the product and the company is sending one to my winner.