Today

Sorry I am a bit MIA today!  I was in PA all day for Thomas, and now I am working an overnight.  So, I’m sorry!  But I will be back tomorrow night.  Sunday morning after church, is Little Man’s Birthday Party with his friends from school.  His birthday is in July, but it is better to do the party before his little buddies all go away for the summer, so we are doing it early this year.  I’ll give you lots of photos- and I think you will be surprised when you see his theme (he picked it- such a wacky boy, LOL).
Have a great day, and if  you are a new follower from the 7/8 Sensory Hop, I will make sure to get you back in the next few days, and I appreciate you understanding that I am just not on this weekend and not getting mad at me, LOL.  Sometimes- LIFE HAPPENS!  Lol.
I will also have more reviews and contests for you tomorrow.  Have a happy Sunday, Bloggy Buddies!
And welcome, new friends!
~ Samantha

Planning to gate-check that stroller? Check again

Planning to gate-check that stroller? Check again

Any of you planning to travel by air with little ones may want to check this out! 🙂

Kiddie Academy

So I ask you Bloggy Buddies, what fields will there always be a demand for?  There are a few, one of which is child care at a reasonable price.  These establishments are all over and it can be difficult to set yourself apart from the rest of the pack, and get your name out there.  Kiddie Academy has found a way to do so!  Kiddie Academy has been the leader in education based child care for over thirty years.  We moms have a secret weapon in the field of educational child care, want to know what it is?  We are moms, we ARE educational child care.  How often do you have to clean up a mess while telling your little ones why the rice crispies are popping or what makes the sun so hot.  With some motivation and a plan, you can turn this honed skill into a source of income for you and your family. For more information take a look: How is Kiddie Academy different?  How is Kiddie Academy different?  And of course How to become a franchise. 
I think the greatest feature of this is it is only as complex as you’d like it to be.  Someone could open just a single small Academy or a whole bunch of them like Donald Trump opening casinos!! Well, except no gambling, and lots off learning!!  Haha. 

Playtex Brilliance in a Bottle Sweepstakes

Playtex is launching the Brilliance in a Bottle Sweepstakes, awarding new and expecting moms some great essentials to help them get off to a healthy start with their newborns. There will be one grand prize winner, 6 weekly prize packs and 42 daily prize packs awarded during the sweepstakes. The grand prize will include $2,500 to complete the baby registry, an in-person meeting with renowned pediatrician and author of Heading Home With Your Newborn, Dr. Laura Jana, and a copy of her book. The weekly and daily prize packs will also include $100 gift cards for baby items and Playtex Baby Bottles Gift Sets.

(Good Luck!) 

Guest Post by Park Wilson

Win Back Your Freedom!
By Park Wilson

How do you break free from life’s commotion and clutter? How do you recharge your soul and relax your senses? The solution becomes clear when viewing the work put into the Emerging Terrain’s Boca Chica Island project in Panama.
Disillusioned with modern life, my partner Josh and I journeyed to the heart of Latin America. We visited hundreds of properties, riding horseback along Costa Rica’s lush jungle trails and boating off Panama’s southeast coast near Chiriqui Gulf National Marine Park. This unique experience inspired us to relocate our families to the area.
Boca Chica Island is the perfect place to wind down while leaving behind the overbearing daily routine. It is amazing to see the positive changes in those who own property on Boca Chica. We have come to agree that relaxation in the natural setting is unlike anything else.
From our experience, here are five sure-fire ways to unplug from the commotion and clutter of modern life:
1.) Go naked. No, I’m not suggesting you undress and discard your clothes… I’m simply suggesting that you ditch every tech device you own, at least temporarily. You can’t unplug and unwind with a smart phone practically sewn to your ear.
2.) Unplug your alarm clock. If you’re like most modern mortals, the demands of modern life have left you sleep-starved. Allow yourself to fall asleep and wake to your natural sleep cycle. Doing so will help you fall into a normal rhythm, and you’ll awake feeling refreshed and energized.
3.) Spurn the masses. No roller-coaster rides at Disneyland. No beach-bathing in Cabo San Lucas. No double-decker bus tours in London or Rome. 
4.) Revisit nature and embrace the natural order of things. Allow sounds and skies of nature to comfort you as you lie in your hammock and sway between two coconut trees. Chop wood with nothing but a sharp ax and your bare hands. Fish and catch “The Big One” from a sandy seashore. Cook dinner over an open campfire. Return to a simple life, and do things as they were done in ancient times – even if it’s only for one or two weeks out of the year.
5.) Push past your boundaries. Achieving balance requires that you break from your routine, temporarily, in order to recharge your creativity. Try something new, exciting and different.
Following just one of these steps will help you recharge. But your greatest chance of success comes when you follow all five steps for a minimum of one week straight, a formula made possible on Boca Chica Island. Only then will you reach a point where you are ready to plug yourself back into the grid of modern life.

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About the Author: Park Wilson, co-founder of Emerging Terrains, has been living and actively investing in the Latin American real estate markets since 2007. His boots-on-the-ground approach to scouting and choosing properties has led to more than $8 million in real estate transactions. Park spearheaded projects on more than 200 real estate transactions in four markets, and has consulted on similar projects in yet another three markets. To reach Park Wilson, please e-mail him at info@emergingterrains.com or learn more by visiting the Emerging Terrains website at http://www.emergingterrains.com.

Twitter Hop!

Please follow your hosts, the first 3 on the list- we will follow you back! 🙂 Follow as many others as you would like, and please follow back those who follow you. This is great for everyone! 🙂

Apartments.com – vote for your fav!

APARTMENTS.COM ASKS AMERICA TO VOTE FOR ROOMMATE OF THE YEAR
National Online Video Contest Heats Up As 12 Finalists Compete
For A Chance to Win Free Rent for One Year Plus $10,000 in Cash
CHICAGO (June 21, 2011) – Apartments.com today unveiled 12 terrific roommates who have been chosen as finalists in the third annual nationwide Apartments.com Roommate of the Year Contest. After receiving entries from around the country, Apartments.com is now inviting America to weigh in by voting for their favorite roommate at http://www.roommateoftheyear.com. The voting stage is open now through July 31, 2011 when the votes will be tabulated, narrowing down the competition to the top five standouts. From those five, one lucky—and outstanding—roomie will be named the Apartments.com Roommate of the Year and win the grand prize of free rent for one year plus $10,000 and a one year membership to freecreditscore.com. The four runner-up winners will each receive $500. When casting their vote, the public is asked to judge the finalists’ videos with equal weight on originality and creativity, overall wow factor, persuasive argument and style and production. 
According to a recent Apartments.com survey, 45 percent of renters currently live with a roommate or plan to move in with one, which makes this contest applicable and appealing to almost half the renters out there. Tammy Kotula, public relations and promotions manager for Apartments.com, says, “Due to socio-economic factors, finding and being a good roommate is a concept that’s really important to renters today. This year the videos we received across the board featured more creativity and higher production values. Choosing 12 finalists was not an easy task, and selecting just one winner will be even more difficult.”
Last year, Andrew Prestler of Kokomo, Indiana and a student at Ball State beat out stiff competition to be named the 2010 Roommate of the Year by Apartments.com. To capture those unique qualities that make a great roommate exceptional, Prestler composed an original rap and created an eye-catching video, singling him out as “Da Best” and securing his title as the Apartments.com Roommate of the Year.
“As our 2010 Roommate of the Year can attest, this contest can be life changing,” Kotula continues. “Andrew Prestler has been interviewed on national radio programs in addition to making appearances on national TV and on more than 40 different TV stations across the country during his tenure. This, combined with the valuable grand prize, means there will be heated competition among our finalists getting out there to drum up public votes and support for their entries!”

The public can view videos and vote for their favorite roommate now through July 31, 2011 at www.roommateoftheyear.com. Visitors to the website can vote for their favorite video once a day every day until the end of the voting stage. Upon conclusion of the public voting stage, one grand prize and four runner-up winners will be determined—by a combination of public vote (60%) and a third-party judging panel (40%).

Wordless Wendnesdays