Turning our Halloween candy into a reading, writing and math lesson!

With all of the Halloween candy at our house the boys have been in candy heaven! I am not big on giving them candy that often, if they are to get a treat I'm more likely to give them cake or something of that nature. JJ must asked me for a piece of candy or wanted to look at his candy a million times this week, I decided to turn the candy examining into a chance to practice reading, writing and math. I had him sort the candy by type each in their own pile, write down the name of the candy, count how many were in each pile, and write down the number next to the name. He had a blast with this "lesson" and did it for 45 minutes! He had no idea he was learning while he basked in the glory of his Halloween loot ;)

Campus Book Rentals

Are you currently enrolled in a College coarse or two? Or think about about starting school soon? It seems like more and more people are "going back to school" these days. It is so easy now that you can take almost all of your coarses on line! My husband is a student right now, along with his full time job, so going to a bookstore or library is not on his agenda. An easy way for him to get the books he needs quick and hassle free is with CampusBookRentals. It is so easy, all you is enter the ISBN #, Title, Author, or Keyword into the search field and select the correct book. Check out is quick and the book is shipped to your house! There is a How to Rent section on their site that explains all you need to know about renting their books.

 There are so many perks to ordering with Campus Book Rentals and here are a few more:

-save 40-90% off of bookstore prices
-free shipping both ways!
-you can highlight in the textbooks!
-flexible renting periods
-they donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented!


 Just look at the great prices on books like this one for those who are studying Criminal Investigation. There are so many perks to ordering books online and having them shipped to you house. We have been ordering books on line for a while now, it works out great and saves us time and money!


*This is a sponsored post from our friends at Campus Book Rentals. All opinions are mine and may vary from yours.

Wordless Wednesday - Wicked at the Paramount in Seattle

The show was amazing!!!! I am still riding the "live theater" high...

~ Sam

Holiday Traveling Tips #kiaholidays

As the holidays approach and you start planning your holiday road trip to visit family and friends or a long awaited family vacation, there are so many planning details to keep in mind. When my family took a vacation this summer there was so much planning and so many details involved because we were taking a road trip. I knew it was going to be tough all those hours in the car with three small children, but I also knew that with plenty of snacks and entertainment we would eventually make it to our destination! Here are a few things I did and learned along the way and would like to share with you:

                            

1. Pack snacks, snacks and more snacks. I don't know about your kids but mine eat 24/7 and being stuck in the car is no different then being at home. In fact I was feeding them more food and snacks to keep them busy and happy on our long drive. I am kind of a freak about letting them eat in the car, the choking hazard and unease about not being able to get to them quick enough if they were choking if they did gives me anxiety. But I was able to find snacks and foods that eased my anxiety and the boys enjoyed the fun snacks.

2. Electronic gadgets and crayons are equally important! When on our road trip the boys enjoyed plenty of movies on their DVD players, if they are stuck in one place for hours why not let them watch a movie? Crayons, markers, coloring books and stickers are just as handy. To change things up they would color on paper as well as themselves, my 2 year old went to town on his body with the markers but at least he was entertained!

3. Stop at as many rest stops or parks as your time allows. The boys would start to get a little cranky and crazy after a couple of hours, when that would happen we pulled over and let them get out to stretch their legs. Getting their wiggles out and running around on the grassy area really helped out.

4. A comfortable vehicle is a must. Having a technology savvy car is a nice luxury to have and can really help out. It would have been nice to have a GPS, we would have used it more times then I can count! #kiaholidays

                                                                                                              

Will you be taking a holiday road trip this season? What are your must have road trip snacks?

* This post was written in partnership with our friends at Kia.

Neat-Oh! Dinosaur ZipBin Toy Review

Last year for my son's birthday he got his first Neat-Oh ZipBin toy. I was so impressed with how fun and functional the line of toys are. They are fun and colorful and then zip up into a useful bin to hold toys. My son love all his ZipBins and the newest one he has from the Dinosaur Collection is his favorite. He loves dinos, he calls them dragons or my guys lol. He is so funny and makes them growl and bite each other. I love that when we are done playing we zip up the side and the toys are contained in there until next time we play.

ZipBins encourage my son's imagination. He makes his dinos play in the river, eat the leaves on the trees since he tells me they are hungry and he even makes them climb into the lid of the toy box to growl at the pictures. Its so fun to watch him get lost into playing dinosaurs and not watching tv.

Information about the ZipBin Dinosaur:

Bring your Dino collection everywhere with the ZipBin® Dinosaur Collector Toy Box & Playset. The best-seller fits in any corner or closet and inside, it's packed with prehistoric play power. Weighing two pounds with sturdy sides and lid, it unzips to become a dinosaur Playmat, with two toy dinosaurs that spark imaginative play. Store, stack and stow when it’s time to hide from your own prehistoric predators! Wipe clean surface with damp cloth. Have fun and decorate your room with all Neat-Oh!® ZipBin® Dinosaur products.  Have fun and decorate your room with all of our Neat-Oh!® ZipBin® Dinosaur products. Ages 3+. We ARE kid’s storage. Keep It Together™

• Colorful, Durable, wipe-clean surface
• Sturdy, Heavy Duty Zipper
• Meets Child Safety Standards
• Patented
• Dimensions
Bin: 13.5 x 12 x 8 inches
Mat: 29 x 26 inches 

 

If you are looking for a great idea for a gift for a birthday or the upcoming holidays ZipBins are great for kids of all ages. ZipBin even makes cute lunch boxes that unzip into a placemat. I have one of these on my sons Holiday wish list. They are super cute and there is a really cute cow one.

You can learn more about Neat-Oh ZipBin products by following them on Twitter and Facebook.


*I was not paid for this post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. I received a ZipBin to review for this post.