I have two daughters that suffer from allergies.  My older daughter has a strange cross-reaction allergy.  If she is affected by Birch Tree pollen and then eats raw apples, peaches, potatoes, and a few others, she gets a suffer reaction that causes her eyes to swell up.  We have found that if she starts to feel any type of swelling, if she takes a Claritin right away the effects will not be nearly as severe.

My other daughter gets allergic reactions to dust and other environmental factors.  I make sure that she carries a Claritin with her in her backpack.  She is never sure when she will have a reaction.

We love Claritin because it works and because it does not make my daughters drowsy.  I have decided to be a Claritin Mom Crew Member so that can share tips and experiences with you.

Now that the new year has started, are you looking for new ways to keep your home organized? I know that I am trying to keep things better organized and one way that I do that is instituting a Chore Chart for my kids. GoalForIt.com is a great place to create these Chore Charts. You can create a chore chart for younger children and a different one for tweens and teens. It is easy to create, simply choose the chart you want and then add the chores. Each chore can be awarded points for completion, plus you can choose which days you want the chores finished by. You can also add rewards. As each job is finished, the child earns points (you decided how many points for each job) and as the points add up they can cash them in for rewards. For instance, I set up a reward of a movie at 500 points. When my child reaches that level in chores, then he can choose the movie of his choice.

The best thing for me about this program is that you can choose to let the child see their chart online or you can print off the chart! I love having the option of printing the chart and then completing the online chart at the end of the week. You could sit down with each child, input their progress into the computer, and watch their points add up. This is a great program for Cub Scouts who have to complete the Wolf Requirement of keeping a chart of healthy habits for two weeks.

GoalForIt.com also offers goal setting charts, behavior charts and to do lists.

Rock ’N Learn is a company that produces educational videos and music to encourage fun learning.  The company have been around for 24 years and has won over 100 awards!  The educational videos and music can help kids learn math, social studies, science and languages.  These programs are highly recommended by teachers.  Some of the popular titles include:  Multiplication Rock, Multiplication Rap, Letter Sounds, Phonics Video, Getting Ready for Kindergarten, and Telling Time.

I received a copy of Letter Sounds to review.  This DVD uses fun characters and music to help kids learn to read.  Common letter sounds are introduced and the on-screen mouth shows kids how to form each sound.  This is a great video for kids from ages 4 to 7 that want to start combining letters to read words and sentences.  Here is a little preview of Letter Sounds:

After looking through the catalog, I am really interested in trying out Addition & Subtraction Rap for my 8 year old sun.  Hip Hop Hamster and friends teach kids an easy way to master sums and differences.  This is a great way for kids to learn their math facts!

Rock N Learn also offer packages that combine a number of DVDs together.  For example, the Math Rap DVD collection includes Additional & Subtraction Rap, Multiplication Rap and Division Rap.  Packaged together you save over $5.00.

To purchase these great products, visit Rock N Learn’s website for more information and to order.

Everyone in my family are fans of Curious George. The cute little monkey, who always gets into mischief and his friend, the man in the yellow hat, are always entertaining. This year, Curious George started his sixth season on PBS KIDS. Each episode is filled with fun for young and old alike!

To top it off, PBS has decided to air a special Curious George Holiday Spectacular, today, November 23, 2011! This holiday spectacular will feature the broadcast premiere of the original Curious George movie staring Will Farrell, Drew Barrymore and Dick Van Dyke. Plus PBS KIDS will air two other Curious George shows: Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey and Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas. If you miss the presentation today, encore presentations will be aired on PBS KIDS throughout the Thanksgiving weekend (check your local listings).

I was privileged to be able to meet with some of the folks that work at PBS KIDS this month. We met at the Monkey Bar in NYC (how appropriate) and I brought two of my children with me. I learned that Curious George is the number one preschool series in the U.S. Plus, the creators really try to remain faithful to the original books by Hans Augusto Rey and Margret Rey. Did you know that the authors never used the color purple in their illustrations? On the PBS KIDS series, you will not see purple used either!

Make this a new holiday tradition with your family and tune into the Curious George Holiday Spectacular!

Deal sites are becoming very popular, but here is one with a new twist: loyalty rewards. Kudzoom, is woman-owned site that offers free shipping on orders over $50, a loyalty program and a $15 site credit that you can earn each time someone you refer make a purchase. Plus, you will earn $1 in cold hard cash on each referral’s purchase as well.

When you sign up for Kudzoom (its FREE!) you will automatically get a $5 credit on their site. Kudzoom focuses on five stages in life, babies, tots, kids, tweens and moms-to-be. They feel that you should be able to purchase name brand clothing for your children and yourself without breaking the bank. The loyalty program rewards you when you make a certain number of purchases, plus when others you refer make purchases.

Here are some of my favorite items that I have found on Kudzoom:

This cute Princess set comes in sizes 4 to 6X and includes the softest leopard coat, a long sleeve “I’m a Princess” shirt, and brown corduroy pants. $25.00 (ends 10/28)

This pink Georgette dress is sure to be stunning this holiday season! Sizes 5 -10. $20.00 (ends 10/30)

Products are available for only a short period of time, so you have to act quickly. Shipping is available to the US and Canada and they also accept Paypal!

Now, you can win a free $25 credit to Kudzoom! Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

I received a credit to Kudzoom for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Remember the popularity of hackysack? Myachi has come out with a similar concept: The Myachi Handsack. The Myachi Handsack is different in shape from a traditional hackysack, it is more rectangular in shape and easier to manipulate. Players can use any body part to perform tricks, however, you can not use your palms! Try to kick it and flip it. This games is very interactive. If you don’t think you can get the hang of the Myachi handsack, Myachi has also developed Myachi Battle Paddles.

Myachi Battle Paddles let you take the game to another level of play. The Myachi Battle Paddles are designed similar to a lacrosse stick head. You wear the paddle on the back of your hand which enables you to catch a handsack that has been thrown from great distances and heights. Plus, you will be able to perform more difficult tricks! You can wear one on each hand, or share with a friend and play one to one. Compete in games such as Myachi Pong, Myachi Football, Myachi Lax, Myachi Golf, etc.

Myachi is trying to get their product to market. To do so, they have joined a site called Kickstarter where people like you can help get the product to the stores. When you donate $10, you receive a FREE Myachi Handsack. If you donate $25, you receive a FREE Myachi Handsack and Myachi Battle Paddles. Shipping is FREE in the US. Other donation amounts are available as well. The funding period ends November 2, 2012.

WIN IT! You can win a Myachi Battle Paddles set by completing tasks in the Rafflecopter Form below. Open to US Residents Only. Contest ends November 2, 2012.

I don’t know how many different times I have created a job chart, jar, bucket, etc. for my children. I always start out strong, but then I end up dumping the system because it is not exactly what I wanted. I have always had the mind set that kids and responsibility are two words that go together well and teaching them how to manage homework, chores and fun is my responsibility as a parent.

Since kids online are also two words that go together at my house, I was thrilled to find an online job chart that is FREE! My Job Chart is an easy way for parents to assign chores to their children from an online interface. After signing up for My Job Chart, you can create a profile for each of your children. Then you are ready to assign jobs. There is a list of jobs you can choose from or you can create your own. You can also decide if the job needs to be done in the AM, PM or AM and PM and what days of the week the job needs to be done.

Each job is assigned a point value. As your child finishes his chores, he get points. You decide when the total amount of points is worth a reward. There are different rewards to choose from. Family Rewards include such things as Dad Time, Computer Time, Ice Cream Cone or Gas Card (great for your driving teen!). Retail Rewards lets you choose items from Amazon.com for your child. You can also make your own Custom Rewards.

A Job Summary is provided for each child as well. This is easy to printout and serves as a reminder to your child which jobs need to be completed for the week. As your child completes their chore chart, they can login to their account and check them off. They will see their reward points add up and know that they are working toward something that they want.

I have started to set up my three kids for this system. It is so easy to use and navigate. I am certain that this will be a great system for us to use in our house to become more organized and responsible!

Watch this introduction to My Job Chart to see how you can get this program started in your home:

This is a sponsored post and I received compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

If you are concerned about cyberbullying or other dangers often associated with Facebook, MySpace or Twitter, TrueCare is a service than can notify you of questionable behavior on your child’s social media page(s).

TrueCare is a subscription service that equips you with the tools to be proactive about privacy and to protect your children from cyberbullies, child predators and even scammers. Using the parental controls you can even protect your children from questionable content and dangerous activities. You can find out if your child is a victim or if your child is participating in bullying activities.

TrueCare works by installing an application on your child’s Facebook account profiles. Your child may be required to set up the app themselves, or you may be able do install it if you know your child’s login information. You can also send your child an email to invite them to install it. TrueCare provides a list of about 500 words (including slang and abbreviations) that it will scan your child’s account for and you will get an alert when these words are detected. You can modify the list yourself.

TrueCare monitors profiles information and status, posts and wall comments, photos and captions, tagged photos, and private messages. It can not monitor private photos.

TrueCare is very easy to use. At first, you will receive a lot of alerts as TrueCare scans each child’s account. After the initial alerts, you will only receive alerts when something questionable happens. I have received alerts for my children for adult friends (I checked each one and they were fine) and pictures posted by adults (again friends that I knew that posted the pictures). So far, there have been no questionable words that have caused an alert to be sent. I am mostly concerned about bullying and adults that my child does not know trying to be friends with them. This app has allowed me to do be in the know about these items without having to read through posts and content on my child’s account. It still affords them some sort of privacy and yet makes you aware at the same time.

TrueCare requires a monthly subscription fee of $4.99 per month.

I am a Bzz Agent and received a free trial of TrueCare to help facilitate my review.

The weather is starting to turn colder and than means the kids will be inside more. At this time, our family, takes the most opportunities we can to have fun outside. Fortunately, for me, all of my kids are soccer players. They not only participate in organized teams, but spend time outside practicing their skills and playing soccer with each other. On September 24, 2011, Nickelodeon’s The Big Help is featuring The Worldwide Day of Play. This program is designed to help kids and families make healthy lifestyle choices. Clorox 2® is a sponsor of Nickelodeon’s 8th Annual Worldwide Day of Play.

It seems that many of there friends would rather watch TV or play video games than go outside. Unfortunately, this is becoming a trend in the US. Here are some things that we do to encourage our family to play outside.

• Participate in group sports such as soccer or baseball. These sports not only have games, but practices as well. We show up as a family to support each child and often the child on the sidelines is having fun running through the empty fields and playing with friends.
• Make a Bucket Full of Fun. Include in the bucket items that the kids can play with outside. I have a container that has bubbles, airplanes, water guns and other toys for outdoor play.
• Outside Games and Projects. The internet is a great resource for outdoor games and projects. I often find tons of ideas for things that we can do as a family outdoors.
• Check out Local Activities. No matter where you live, you should be able to find a walking path, hike or park that will encourage outdoor play.
• Try someplace new. If my kids are moving enough, I load them into the car and we try out a new park or activity that will catch their interest.
• Team Up. Find other moms or families that like to do the same things and do them together. We have friends that love to participate in 5K runs. We would have never done this as a family, but we had a blast when they invited us the first time and have done many events since.

Right now, Clorox 2® is encouraging families to take the pledge to play outside. You can make a pledge to play outside with your family and have a chance to win a trip to Yosemite National Park. Plus they are offering other great weekly prizes as well. You can find out more information on the Clorox2 Play 2Day Pledge hub, http://clorox2play2day.com.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Clorox2® blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Bausch + Lomb recently revealed the results of their “Daily Talk” survey. This survey found that 93% of moms surveyed have had conversations with their children about drugs, alcohol and smoking, with 63% feeling that they were well-prepared to discuss these topics. On the other hand, day-to-day conversations about such issues as nutrition, use of contact lenses and makeup were a little harder for moms. Moms felt least prepared to talk to their kids about makeup (33 percent) or talk their children about switching from glasses to contact lenses (21 percent).

Do you talk to your children about the small things as well? I found that when my middle child was entering middle school, that I there were subjects that we needed to discuss. We had already been discussing the big ticket items such as alcohol, smoking, drugs and sexual activity. Now it was also time to discuss personal hygiene.

Since I am a substitute teacher, I often come in contact with middle and high school age kids were seem not to know the basics of personal hygiene, or how to apply simple makeup, or how to style their hair. Kids at this age are very self-conscious and any tools that we can give them to help them feel better about themselves is a plus. I want my kids to feel comfortable in their own skin without having to embrace extreme fashions or styles.

This year, we decided that my middle daughter would be able to try contact lenses if she wished. She has worn glasses since fourth grade. Now that she is about to enter seventh grade, and she does participate in sports, I gave her the option of trying contact lenses. She is excited to be able to try the Bausch + Lomb SofLens Daily Disposable Lenses! She has always been a bit self conscious about her glasses and I think this may be a good confidence booster for her.

If you want to read more about the Daily Talk Study, you can access it here.

I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Bausch + Lomb and received Soflens daily disposables to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.