Help Support the Sacramento Children's Museum

As a kid my parents took us to many fun places. I can remember a trip to the Seattle children's museum.  In school we had great field trips to museums and historical sites. These memories are the types of things I appreciated more than any toys or treats we were given. Children need to explore, see and do to learn!
You can see what is in the museum by viewing some of the pictures taken from the museum preview:
Sacramento Moms Like Me Museum Day

Places like the Sacramento Childrens Museum is one of those spots kids love to go. We were invited to go to a preview of the museum but do to car issues we did not make it. I saw the pictures of the exciting time everyone had and it looks awesome. There are water table areas, art areas, a baby area, a tree tunnel and so much more!

To keep places like the Sacramento Children's Museum open it takes people donating to make great programs available. Even a group of people like a Mommy group or co workers can give money as one to be a Founding Member. The museum will be opening on  August 25th so there is still time to donate to be a Founding Member. There are many levels of giving you can click here to see them.

There are also Volunteer Opportunities as a way to give to the Museum as well.

Recently we sent a postcard to Leo the Museum mascot and he wrote us back! You can write to him at:
Leo
P.O. Box 13303
Sacramento, CA 95813

Some of the stuff Leo sent us!

Donation Info:

Founding Families
The first 500 individuals or families to donate $500 or more will forever be recognized as our Founding Families. The Family’s name will be memorialized in an artistically designed tribute; this tribute will be permanently displayed in a prominent location in the Museum. A package of special benefits will be included. Click here to learn more.

Community Founders 
The first 500 businesses or organizations to donate $500 or more will forever be recognized as our Community Founders. The Community Founder’s name will be memorialized in an artistically designed tribute; this tribute will be permanently displayed in a prominent location in the Museum. A package of special benefits will be included. Click here to learn more.

Matching Gifts
Your employer may have a matching gift program. If so, you can make your gift go twice as far! Please inquire a your place of employment or contact us to assist you.

Submit Donations
Online: click here to access our secure site
Mail: P.O. Box 13303; Sacramento, CA 95813

The Sacramento Children’s Museum (SCM) is a registered 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donation is tax-deductible to extent the law allows.



* I was not paid or compensated for this post. I am a Moms Like Me Sacramento member who wanted to help spread the word about the need for support for the Museum.

Tejava Tea Review and Sweepskates Post

 I have been a Tejava fan for many years. I found it while looking for an alternative to my normal tea that had no HFCS in it. I used to be big on Lipton but some of their varieties contain high fructose corn syrup. Tejava is 100% natural Black Tea from the island of Java. I really like that it is unsweetened that way I can add my own level of sweetness. I use either honey or sugar to taste and its great! Once I did put it in the freezer since I wanted some right away and then forgot about it and it cracked and got all over the freezer, not to self duh its glass lol, but that just made me want it even more so I had to run up to the store to get more. I have been hooked since! Here in Nor Cali I get it at Raley's but most places you can find it at Trader Joe's and Cost Plus World Markets.

Tejava won!

While in the store I spotted a pull off paper for a sweepstakes for Tejava. When I got home I could not find it anywhere so I was thankful to find the sweeps on their website.

ENTER HERE

Enter for a chance to win a 7-day/6-night* adventure to the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali for you and a companion!

Visit Java and tour Tejava's beautiful tea plantation and see an island volcano, majestic waterfalls, and natural hot springs. Then be whisked away to relax on the exotic beaches of Bali and visit a pearl farm and a 17th century temple. The Grand Prize includes air and ground transportation, hotel, daily breakfast, select meals, sightseeing excursions and $1,000 spending money. Approximate retail value of grand prize (ARV): $13,550. No purchase necessary to enter the Sweepstakes.

**Only open to 15 states so be sure to make sure your state is on the list before entering.The Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of these fifteen (15) United States: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming who are 21 years of age and older and who are physically located and reside in these states at the time of entry ("Eligible Participant"). Void in Puerto Rico and where prohibited

I have enjoyed this tea for many many years!

 
* I was sent a free bottle of Tejava to sample for this post by the PR firm representing Tejava.

Starbucks Bistro Box Sweepstakes

Starbucks is one of the few indulgences I allow myself once in a while. I have a rewards card so I earn free ones sometimes too! They are having a sweepstakes to win:

Lunch for two at Starbucks where you can enjoy any two Bistro Boxes and two grande handcrafted beverages of your choice!

From August 1-14, just text “BISTRO” to 697289 and you'll automatically be entered in the sweepstakes.
-OR-
If like me you don't have a cell or do not want to pay the text fee you can enter online!
You can enter here.

Fisher Price Animal Sounds Contest for ages 1-5

I LOVE sweepstakes and contest. They are fun to enter and of course even more fun to win! I have been entering sweeps for over 10 years and now with my son I can enter even more of them! For this one I will be making a video of him doing his best Monkey sounds. He is really good at it. I am going to try to get Sam to get JJ to do one to. My son loves Giraffes but oddly I cannot recall what kind of noise they make lol.


You can enter here https://animalsounds.fisher-price.com/

Here are some things you need to know:

• Your video cannot be longer than 20 seconds
• Your video must feature one of these animal sounds:
Lion Monkey Polar Bear Whale Leopard Hippopotamus Zebra
Giraffe Rhinoceros Elephant Penguin Tiger Alligator Ostrich
Seal Bear Dolphin Gorilla Bird Snake
• The child in your video must be 1-5 years at time of entry
• Only one child can be featured in each video
• Your video must be in one of the following formats: AVI (Windows), MOV (Mac), MPEG or WMV and not be larger than 30MB
• Entries must be submitted no later than 11:59:59 PM ET on 11/30/11.

See Official Rules for complete list of content guidelines.

and BABY makes 5

I have been a little MIA on the blog lately. I have been doing some posts here and there but slacking to say the least. I have a semi good excuse....

I am pregnant and we are expecting baby #3 this winter!!!



The excitement is pretty high around here, especially from JJ. Here I thought that he would be the one to protest the most but he is so excited. He will tell everyone and anyone that we are having another baby. It is super cute. With Baby L he was so so about it, this time around he can't wait to have a new baby. So with my news being announced I am free to write about it, I have a few stories (like my husband wanting to buy a Mini Van) to tell and some things to say about being pregnant (is it possible to be this tired and cranky) this time around. I am working on getting it together and posting more. Please bare with me as I get back into the swing of things.

Next week we have the ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby, for my sake PLEASE think PINK!! With 2 boys and a husband the testosterone is pretty thick around here ;)

P.S. Thanks to Liz who has been carrying most of the "baby" weight around here!! Haha

Old Navy Super Cash Sale

Old Navy is one of my favorite stores! They always have awesome deals and the clearance section in my local store is great. I never pay full price when I ship since they always seem to have some sort of sale.

From 8/1 to 8/18 they are having the Super Cash sale where you earn Old Navy money back for your next purchase. Some restrictions apply so check out the site to read the details.

Memories Monday

I am thankful I have a decent memory. I can recall events and just individual moments as far back as preschool. I can recall the way the play ground looked, my classroom, my tap dancing lessons and the spot we put our stuff into our own cubby hole. I have thousands of simple moments that I do not ever want to forget. The one thing we have that is just ours is our memories. These are the precious things we have and need to share to keep them going. Of course not all memories are wonderful but even the scary ones can teach us something. I know for a fact that a bed frame, a plank of wood, rope and empty paint buckets will not turn you into Huck Finn floating down the river! I will share that story more one of these times. I am sure Sam and our older brother would get a laugh or two out of that one.

I want to make a regular habit of writing down my memories of childhood, adulthood and now as a mother. I would like to invite you as readers and some of you that are also bloggers to be apart of Memories Monday. Each Monday I will post a topic of something family friendly that you may have a memory of and I would like you to share it with everyone. I will have a Linky List next Monday for everyone who blogs to share their stories on.

I am a huge History buff and I always find it fascinating when a diary or notes from people living in a different era are found. Maybe one day someone will find all my posts and laugh, cry and learn a little about what it was like to live my life. Each of us is creating a story as we live our daily lives and I want you each Monday to take the time to write down just a portion of that story to share with us all.

Since most of us are getting ready for school year to start I wanted to ask what is your favorite memory of Kindergarten for you or your child's year in Kindergarten?

My Story:
I have a funny and embarrassing memory from Kindergarten. One day while I was out playing on the playground during recess my shorts got snagged on screw that was sticking out of a jungle gym and it ripped my shorts open. I was mortified that other kids could see my undies! I had to run back to the classroom my hands covering my bum to tell my teacher. Thankfully she called my mom who quickly brought me new shorts to wear. My mom was always there to rescue us kids anytime we needed her to. I was very embarrassed for quiet some time and always made sure to be careful on that piece of play ground equipment.

Leonardo Get Out of My Dreams!

Have you watched the movie Inception? The one with Leonardo DiCaprio and how he can manipulate dreams through dream invasion. I have seen it a few times because I find dreams fascinating. I could go on forever about the crazy and surreal dreams I have had over the years. The earliest repetitive dreams I have had I can recall from about age 7. Some dreams feel so real the are almost like a memory of a life not lived. Its creepy! When I was pregnant I would have this terrible dream at least 3 times a week about water, waves and a huge flood. It was intensely powerful. I can recall many details of the dream. I have had those types of dreams to that are blissful happiness. Those kinda dreams are awesome.

Since watching the movie Inception I have had three occurrences where I have had a lucid dream. Lucid dreaming is when you are in the middle of a dream you become aware that it is not real and that you are dreaming, but yet remain asleep and still in the dream. In the movie Inception Leonardo explains this concept to his costar Ellen Page to her by telling her you can always know if your dreaming if you do not remember how you got to where you are. Its strange but makes sense to me.

Well this is where things got very Inception in my dreams. Three times in the last 2 months I have been in the middle of a sad, stressful or scary dream and suddenly my brain tells me that I am ok, this is not real, you are dreaming since you do not know how you got here. Literally in my dream I start to yell "I dont know how I got here, This is just a dream!" Then in my dream I am overwhelmed with a calmness and a feeling of just letting go of what was trying to overcome me. Then after what in my dream feels like 5 or 10 minutes of realizing I am actually dreaming and being fully aware that I am, I wake up.

I thought Garfield could lighten the mood!

This is so odd to me! I have been dreaming vividly since I was about 7. I am sure before then that is just the age I can recall some of them. Most people have a dream they remember only once in a while. For me it feels like when I go to sleep a TV is turned on in my head and I dream a different world. I feel some times its a curse to dream so much and other times a blessing. I often write down the super detailed and intense dreams I have and hoping one day to turn them into short stories.

For now all I have to say is:

Leonardo Get Out Of My Dreams!

Now that you know my creepy dream side of my personality what is something about you not many people know?

Homer can always cheer me up!

Summer Giveaways from Bausch + Lomb

 

I know many people wear contacts daily and some people for special occasions. My husband wears them daily and sometimes I forget he even needs them. I am sure he doesn't ever forget since every day he was so rinse them with solution. We recently had the chance to try a sample of BioTrue. He has used this brand in the past but I am always seem to buy him ones I find on sale and with a coupon. That's why I am frugal lol!

There are a few Bausch + Lomb Sweepstakes I wanted to share with everyone:

Biotrue™ Fan Feedback Giveaway

Contact lens wearers, we want to hear your feedback! Simply visit the “Feedback” tab on the Bausch + Lomb Facebook page to answer our monthly eye-care related question and share your opinion with others.  One winner will be selected weekly through September 6, to win a free years supply of Biotrue!

To learn more about the Biotrue “Feedback” Tab, please visit: http://on.fb.me/n6R4Er

SofLens® Daily Score Sweepstakes

Put your luck to the test in time for back-to school with the SofLens Daily Score Sweepstakes. Daily winners through September 30 will receive a SofLens-branded sport tote bag and the opportunity to be entered into the grand prize drawing for a $5,000 scholarship!  To enter, simply fill out the entry form at the SofLens Daily Score website.

To learn more about the SofLens Daily Score Sweepstakes, please visit: http://bit.ly/qTImWJ


** I was sent a free sample size BioTrue and a reusable bag for sharing this sweepstakes with everyone.

The Smurfs: A Magical Smurf Adventure on DVD Review

 

I have loved the Smurfs since I was a kid. The cute song, the quaint little village they live in and of course the individual characters that make up the Smurf family. Some of my favorites are Brainy Smurf, Smurfette and Lazy Smurf. I still to this day quote "I Hate......." in my best Smurf voice if we have to do something no fun or boring. My husband cracks up since he was a Smurf fan too. I try not to say it around my son since the last word I want him to learn is hate. But in Smurf fun its a cute inside joke to my hubby and I. 

With the new Smurf movie coming out there has been a lot of buzz around the cute little blue creatures. I was excited to see the old cartoon come to DVD just in time to remind myself about the old version before seeing the new movie and sharing a classic cartoon with my son. 

He loved the opening song like I used to. We held hands and danced around, it was super cute. We found him a Smurf stuffed toy at Toys R Us on clearance for mess than $5 and when you push his hand it plays the theme song! How cool is that. He grabbed his stuffed Smurf and we sat down to watch the cartoon. He watched for a bit and pointed out that Azrael was a kitty cat. Then he fell asleep on the couch and I continued to reminisce of a time when I was a kid watching the Smurfs! One of my favorite episodes was on this DVD.
"Smurf Me No Flowers"
Lazy is led to believe that he has only a few days left to live, encouraging him to do some physical feats he hasn't thought of doing before.

Taking a nap with his Smurf

The Smurfs A Magical Smurf Adventure 2 Disc DVD is available now from the WBShop.com

Synopsis:   
Get your Smurf on with this 2-disc set of 10 Smurftacular Episodes! In a hidden village dwells a clan of magical creatures, living in mushroom houses and taking showers with dewdrops. They’re those international celebrities known far and wide as the Smurfs -- and they’re back on DVD. This itty-bitty powder-blue crew, including Brainy, Lazy, Vanity and Smurfette, is led by the wise, gentle and 542-year-old Papa Smurf. Gargamel, the local evil wizard, is forever scheming against the tiny team but our little friends outsmurf him every time! The Smurfs may only be three apples high, but they left miles of smiles on the faces of Saturday morning cartoon fans from 1981 to 1989!  Smurf it up again with this colorful collection of superior Smurftainment!





*I was not paid or compensated for this post. The opinions in this post are 100% mine and may vary from other opinions. I was provided for free a copy of the Smurf DVD  for my review.