Peace, Bugs and Understanding – Cute New Kids Book

March 27, 2015 by 6 Comments

My son loves to be read to, and will hopefully be a big reader like his mom.  He likes pretty much anything, from the classics, to comic books, to “cute” books, and more. I’m glad he likes diversity in reading, hopefully it means he’s open minded. One of the latest books we have read is “Peace, Bugs and Understanding,” the newest children’s book by Gail Silver in her illustrated series beginning with Anh’s Anger.

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This books is about finding peace instead of anger, and encourages children to look inward and be calm when they feel anger. It deals with meditation on a child’s level- which I think is pretty cool, and timely for us since my son is about to start kids classes next month.  We both do yoga already, and I meditate, and feel this would be good for him as well.  Like his mother, he has some tendencies that this could help.  (Don’t we all, right?)  Maybe starting younger would be helpful.

This is a cute book, easy to follow, with relatable characters and problems.  We are going to find the first two books of the series as well so that we can read them all.

More About the Book

The newest (and final) installment in the series is “Peace, Bugs, and Understanding: An Adventure in Sibling Harmony.” Emotionally charged siblings experience harmony in lieu of rivalry when they discover Metta, a practice that has helped people transform anger into loving kindness for thousands of years. In addition to being an author, Gail is the founder of Yoga Child, a Philadelphia business that teaches children about yoga and inner peace.
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PetSmart Loves Happy Pets #CrateHappyPets @PetSmart

March 26, 2015 by 7 Comments

Disclosure- This post is sponsored by PetSmart, and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Containment Products and Education for your pet, but Have Sippy Will Travel only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. PetSmart is not responsible for the content of this article.

When you are getting a new furry buddy for the house, there are many things to think about. Everyone thinks of food, toys, treats, a leash, etc. Something important to remember is a crate or carry container for your new fur buddy. Crates are a great investment because they can keep your dog safe, keep them from getting too anxious when you are away, and keep your destructive little buddy from getting at those new speakers.  Or spite pooping on the bed.  You know.  Fun stuff.

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Sometimes mistakes happen, and they are unavoidable. Maybe you dropped a glass, which of course flew everywhere- so how do you keep your dog out of the room while cleaning up and trying not to cut yourself at the same time? That would be another good reason for a crate. Contain your little buddy and clean away.   You can also use a carrier for trips to the vet, the groomer, and road trips.  (For bigger dogs, you will need a seat belt vest or the like, unless you have room for a very large crate.)
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March Trends at The Children’s PLACE

March 26, 2015 by 7 Comments

The Children’s PLACE has come to deliver marching orders: Put your best foot forward this spring with the best on-trend outfits and styles. With everything from dressy Easter attire to casual clothes, shoes, and accessories, The Children’s PLACE has everything you need for the stylish kids in your life. Girls can have fun in floral accents and casual dresses they can style up with a pair of sparkly flats or make more casual by pairing with an ankle bootie. Boys are all about preppy and sporty looks with bold pops of color.

easter clothingThe Children’s PLACE is also one of my favorite places to shop for our son, because it’s easy to mix and match clothing and the prices are wallet-friendly. He likes the clothes because they are soft, for him a must.

He can be picky about his clothing- not so much about the style, but about the fit.  He really dislikes jeans for some reason, and anything that feels tight, stiff, or “scratchy” is a no-go.  He likes khakis (in any color or print), track pants, sweat pants, and the like, which they have so many options of at The Children’s PLACE.  He will wear most shirts, as long as they fit the above qualifiers.  He used to love, love, love wearing ties, bow ties, and vests (not sure if you all remember, but there was a time he wouldn’t leave the house without them on!) but now he’s all about the casual.  I’m glad that it’s easy to match clothes at The Children’s PLACE, because you can get more wear and more outfits for your money that way, without having to shop as much or have as much clothing.  With as fast as they grow, who wants to spend that much money for a single season of use?
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Filed Under: clothes and shoes, fashion, review Tagged With: ,

Build the Perfect Easter Basket with PEEPS

March 25, 2015 by 6 Comments

Disclosure: “The PEEPS ® product, information and gift have been provided by Just Born Retail Group.”

Did you know…?

  • Yellow is America’s best-selling color of PEEPS® Chicks and Bunnies, followed by pink and then blue.
  • Just Born produces enough PEEPS® Brand Marshmallow Candies in one year to circle the earth three times.
  • Chicks rule! 4 out of every 5 PEEPS® purchased are Chicks – either flavored, dipped in chocolate, covered in chocolate or in the original un-flavored marshmallow form.

cannon 3 23 15 014Just a few fun facts to start your day off sweetly.  You are going to want to get your PEEPS® early this year so you can try all the new flavors for 2015. There is also PEEPS® plush, apparel, and other Just Born candy brands at peepsandcompany.com, the one-stop-“hop” for all things sweet.

My son just loves Peeps.  My grandmother has always loved them as well, so I always buy a ton as soon as they hit shelves and get them both a wide variety of Marshmallow Chicks and Marshmallow Bunnies.  While Peeps are great for Easter baskets, they are also a fun reminder of spring in general, and my son, husband, and grandmother eat them pretty constantly until there are none left.
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Win Entenmann’s Little Bites and Upcycled Tote

March 25, 2015 by 63 Comments

Disclosure- we received product coupons in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are our own and honest.

My son is a huge fan of Little Bites- and OK, so am I- mostly because on mornings that we are running late, they are easy to grab and go on the way to school, and he can eat them while I drive.  Yes, it happens.  Often.  He likes them because they are “cute” and they taste good- also I think he thinks they are dessert for breakfast, since they come in flavors that sound like candy or cupcakes.

pic8Entenmann’s Little Bites ® snacks, the individually portioned lunch snack that’s perfect for lunch boxes and grab-and-go fun, is helping kids and families become recycling pros this year through two cool new eco-initiatives with both TerraCycle® and the Arbor Day Foundation — just in time for Earth Day 2015!

pic9First, they’re working with TerraCycle®, an international leader in the collection and reuse of non-recyclable post-consumer waste, for the 3rd annual “Turn Trash to Cash” campaign that helps kids earn cash for their schools by recycling the pouches from their Little Bites snack time favorites. Flavors include Little Bites Chocolate Chip Muffins, Little Bites Crumb Cakes, Little Bites Crème Filled Chocolate Cupcakes, and new for 2015 Little Bites Party Cakes. As part of the Entenmann’s Little Bites Pouch Brigade, schools, community organizations and individuals throughout the country collect empty Little Bites pouches and send them to TerraCycle to earn points that can be redeemed as cash for the school. TerraCycle turns the used packaging into innovative new products at TerraCycle,  like tote bags, pencil cases and even picnic benches! To learn how to get your children’s school signed up to recycle Little Bites pouches, click here.
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Win a PLAYMOBIL Easter Egg (Toy)

March 25, 2015 by 38 Comments

With Spring just around the corner, you must be getting ready for the Easter bunny to come hopping over. To help celebrate Easter this year, PLAYMOBIL has adorable new 2015 PLAYMOBIL Eggs out just in time for the basket filling.

pic9Fun PLAYMOBIL figures are hiding inside each Egg guaranteeing creative play for both girls and boys. With various exciting themes, the PLAYMOBIL Egg is the perfect addition to this year’s Easter Basket. The Possible Eggs include: Princess with Vanity Station, Fun at the Beach, Pirate with Rowboat and Boy with Children’s Tractor.
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Healthy Easter Basket Ideas

March 25, 2015 by 3 Comments

fruist crisps

If you are looking to give your kids a healthy Easter basket, or just looking for some fun new ideas for snack time or to put into lunchboxes, you will like what you see (and taste) with Fruttata Crisps and Bauli’s croissants.

This Easter, instead of giving an Easter basket full of sugar, give a basket full of healthier snacks, without jeopardizing the taste.  Give a healthy and tasty trick with Easter with Fruttata Crisps. Fruttata Crisps come from carefully selected fruits from the finest regions in the world. Each 1 oz. bag of Fruttata crisps provides a satisfying nutrition that is equivalent to 285 grams of fresh fruit. Snacking while on the go or in the house, has never been healthier. Fruttata Crisps are all natural, gluten free, with no additional sugar added. (Available at Duane Reade and Amazon.com/ $1.79)
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Take Me To Church- The Hunchback of Notre Dame explores the light and dark sides of it’s characters

March 25, 2015 by 6 Comments

 

Moving. Heartbreaking.  Stunning. All words I would use to describe Paper Mill Playhouse’s production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, and I didn’t expect to react so strongly in the least.

Paper Mill, which produces beautiful shows right here in NJ, never ceases to amaze me.  With talent second to none (and that means Broadway as well- since many of it’s stars also preform on the Great White Way, you don’t need to trek into the city to see a top-notch performance) and not a bad seat in the house, we always enjoy the shows at Paper Mill Playhouse.  This one, however, might be my favorite so far, in no small part because I was not expecting to love it so much.

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The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Paper Mill Playhouse; Photo by Matthew Murphy; Michael Arden (Quasimodo) and the company of The Hunchback of Notre Dame

A fan of Victor Hugo, who wrote the novel, I thought that the Disney movie was cute if (of course) simple, as it was intended for young audiences.  The movie lost what to me were some key characters to understanding the story, modified others deeply, and lost the tone of the novel and story.  The music was nice, and the singing exactly what you would expect from a Disney film.  I was expecting a cute, fun show.  However, I found myself knocked off my feet within moments, at the opening song  “The Bells Of Notre Dame”.  The full orchestra and choir took one right to the period and atmosphere, and was incredibly moving.

With minimalist scenery and props, the cast really took center stage and full focus.  The lack of many scenery changes or much going on in the background only adds to the production- it seems right at home for the time period.  It is raw, sparse, the way one might imagine medieval Catholic services to have been. The characters are  complicated, deep and feel human.  There is no pure evil villain and our heroes have moments of weakness, each with conflicting feelings and acts.  You are able to see the good inside even the most flawed character, and your heart breaks with them all as the story rings on.
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Filed Under: lifestyle, review, theater