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Guest Post by: Denise Mestanza-Taylor
Here in the Sunshine State, our best outdoor fitness days happen during the cooler months. Once summer slips in (some time around late April), Floridians have to find creative ways to beat the heat while squeezing in work-outs, especially when you’re a SAHM. Like many other SAHMs surviving on hubby’s income, we can’t afford the luxury of a gym membership. This is simply another factor in the equation to find creative, inexpensive ways to work-out. Plus, in our glorious SAHM lives between wiping bottoms and the Backyardigans, it can be difficult to find time for fitness. So, here are some simple and quick beat-the-heat work-outs to help you get ready in time for bikini season:

Crank Dat Jump Rope No rope required to jump rope! Just rotate your arms as if you’re a cranking a rope. By jumping an invisible jump rope, you are adding resistance and strengthening your arms while working your leg muscles. However, after popping out a kid or two or more, some moms can’t quite jump like they did BC (before children). Not to worry! Rather than jumping rope like you’re Rocky Balboa, keep your feet shoulder with apart and land on alternate feet instead of landing on your two feet together. Try five to ten 30-second sets.

Pump You Up No need to run out and buy a set of weights! Instead, be green and refill empty water bottles with tap water or sand on your next visit to the playground or beach. Using your new handy-dandy homemade weights, do three sets of biceps curls, triceps curls and lateral lifts. Remember to rest for 60 seconds between each set of 10.

Dancing Queen I set my DVR to record exercise programs from Fit TV, but my kids often control of the television, which means my fitness programs are held hostage while they watch their shows. That’s when it’s time to peel those couch potatoes off their comfy spud sofa! Turn off the TV and find some great tunes to make your kids bust some moves. A dance party will surely get your heart rate going while working on gross motor skills with your kids. For your living room Romper Room dance party, simply skip, gallop and twist to your favorite songs.

Treading Water As moms, treading water seems to be a daily occurrence! However, during the summer months, you will more than likely find yourself at a pool at some point and swimming is a great way to beat the heat. Since swimming laps with the kids around seems highly unlikely, try treading water instead while your kids splash around in the pool. Treading water offers great resistance training. Start with two minute intervals and try building up to five minutes. Longer intervals are a great goal to achieve before the end of summer. Set aside a few minutes each day for these beat-the-heat fitness tips and you’ll be hot in your swimsuit in no time!

Run DMT

Denise Mestanza-Taylor is the author of Run DMT. She is a SAHM and organizer of the mommy group, Moms on the Go. Check out her lively blog!

Guest Post By: Teresha

Summer is around the corner and it's time to start planning things for the kiddos to do, especially if they are going to be at home. Growing up, we never could afford summer camp. Actually, my mother treated the local library as a makeshift camp and sent me and my siblings there a lot. She also gave us reams of dot matrix computer paper (remember that?!) and markers to whittle the hours away coloring and drawing. Maybe that's why I am a book-a-holic and an arts and crafts buff.

Children are naturally creative and summer is the perfect time to develop their right brains. Most students are getting little or no arts education in school. Luckily for parents, getting your kids involved in arts and crafts is easy to do. It is also an inexpensive way to keep them happily busy. There are tons of websites that list free craft projects with instructions and templates you can download. Don't be surprised if your children prefer to make arts and crafts over playing video games!
This simple project combines two of my favorites activities: doing crafts and recycling. It promotes reading, too!

3-D Bookmark
ages 5+
time: <1>

ruler

scissors or paper trimmer

craft glue

chipboard (use an empty cereal or shoe box)

craft paint and brushes

coloring tools (markers, gel pens, crayons, colored pencils)

embellishments (stickers, glitter)

found objects (grab a shoe box and fill it with buttons, sequins, gems, bits of ribbon/yarn, bottle caps, broken costume jewelry, scraps of plastic)

hole punch

Directions:

1. Cut out a 2 inches wide x 6 inches rectangle long from chipboard using paper trimmer or scissors
   
2. Paint each side and let dry
3. Punch a hole in the top center of bookmark
4. Decorate your bookmark. Draw, color, add stickers or glitter. Then glue found objects onto each side to your bookmark to make it 3-D. Go wild!
5. Tie a piece of ribbon or yarn around the hole and you are done!
   
6. Recycle leftover paper and chipboard
   

Additional Resources

Crafts Projects Using Natural, Recycled, & Found Objects

If you are looking for some 4th of July craft or recipe ideas check out www.favecrafts.com where there are some great tips. You can even download this FREE 4th of July Crafts and Recipe eBook!

We try to limit the amount of television that Graham watches at our house. Normally, I will play one of his DVDs in the morning and another when I am trying to prepare dinner. There are a few occasions when he will watch television, but for the most part he is watching one of his educational DVDs (usually preschool prep). Because of this, he has already learned how to operate the DVD player.

For a child who has not yet mastered the DVD player there is a pretty cool little remote just for them! The vdoBug allows your child (ages 4-7) to maneuver through the 10 chapters on the DVD menu by coordinating symbols with the chapter. This allows the young viewer to replay their favorite scenes over and over again without having to touch the adult DVD equipment.



Studies suggest that repetition is a valuable tool in teaching your child anything. I work in a school and remember a conference that told us for the typical learner they must hear the same thing about 10 times! The vdoBug will allow your child to repeat a favorite scene or something they are trying to pick up. This could be helpful to a hands on learner.

This cute little remote is called "lady bug" by Graham and comes with inserts that are easily installed to match up with the DVD your child is viewing. I will say that at first I had trouble figuring out how to set up the vdoBug, but I watched the simple tutorial video on "how to program your vdoBug" and had it working in about 2 minutes.

The vdoBug retails for $39.95 and comes with a DVD. You can purchase additional DVDs from the website from $9.95 to $14.95. I think this would be a good idea if you are particular about your children touching expensive video equipment.

There is a brand new online community just for new and expecting parents that you should check out when you have a moment. Barefoot and Pregnant has forums and focuses on those who are trying to conceive as well. There are several articles written by parents as well as doctors. You can check out videos as well as submit your very own videos on different topics.

Barefoot and Pregnant is also a Spa! The founder, Stacey Denney, first had a dream to create a relaxing place for those trying to conceive as well as pregnant and new moms to receive some much deserved TLC. The online community is the off spring of the Spa.

So, if you are pregnant or know someone who is or soon will be, tell them about Barefoot and Pregnant. You can even connect on the blog! It looks like an encouraging place to be!

Here is another FREE Shipping code from Lands' End! This one expires June 29th so you better act quick! Right now you can save up to 30% on kids shorts and pants.

Guest Post by: Beth Butler

And you thought you had to be a Latina to give your child the gift of Spanish as a second language!!! Put all those myths behind you amigas, and let the fiesta begin! I recall first meeting this little darlin' dancing below with BOCA the language amigo & puppet when she was only three months old. Her older sister (so wise in years at the age of 3!!!) had already mastered the numbers 1 to 10 and days of the week since attending my local Boca Beth classes and listening to some bilingual beats

So...no more "I can't help him with that Spanish stuff. We'll have to leave it for middle school." or "Spanish? Why? They better learn English when they get to our country!" or please not "She'll get confused if I let her watch DORA and hear all that back and forth Spanish and English stuff!"

Did you know that your children will be early readers and score higher on standardized tests later in life should you introduce them to a second language before the tender age of 5? You know it's easier when they're younger (we SO understand that now that we are adults!)! And the latest research says YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE BILINGUAL to give the gift of a 2nd language to your little one.

Based on the age of children in attendance I recommend the following:

• Salsa and chips.
• Big Fritos with sour cream, chili & cheese and/or guacamole for dipping.
• Make your own taco station complete with meats (chicken or beef), tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, taco sauce and shells.
• Flan, dulce de leche ice cream, Tres Leches cake (available in many flaors these days) or galletas/cookies from a local Spanish grocery store.

• Want some cool party favors to give out as the fiesta goes along? Click here to download any of the more than 180 FREE bilingual language cards (one of them is pictured above) that feature Spanish vocabulary words and English vocabulary words with pronunciation key and cool pictures!

• How about some música / music? I want you to enjoy this FREE MP3 version of our cool bilingual song called I Like to Count / Me gusta contar (that is pronounced may goose-tah cone-tahr See! You CAN do this! And it's fun with the kids!). Click the link below to download this number one hit in many family's book now!

Alright amigas - that should start your Spanish Summer Fiesta Fun off on a happy note! Any questions? You can always e-mail me or check us out over at our web site during one of the kids' siestas/naps!


Beth Butler is the founder of the Boca Beth program. She is a bilingual educator of young children and strives to create better communication within our increasingly diverse society. Check our her learning tools at BocaBeth.com and her blog at One Song at a Time.

Thanks Slick Deals!

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Transaction #1

Oreo Cakesters - 2/$6
(Earn $3 ECBs)
Use $1 off coupon from 6/14

Total OOP: $5
Total ECBs Earned: $3

Transaction #2

Menon Deodarant - 2/$4.50
(Earn $3 ECBs)
Use $1 off CVS coupon

Total OOP: $3.50
Total ECBs Earned: $3

For more CVS deals head over to: Jolly Mom, Money Saving Mom, Deal Seeking Mom, The Centsible Sawyer, Keeping the Kingdom First, and Saving Cents with Sense

Guest Post by: Rob

If you have kids like myself you know that a trip to the pool or the beach, while a great time, can be a huge hassle to plan and pack for. You need to make sure you have drinks, food, toys, towels and the list goes on and on.

You need non-stop entertainment for the kids and if you forget something most likely you will have to buy it which can be expensive. A few years back my wife put together a checklist that we use when we go to the beach or pool and it works great! In order to have a successful trip follow the below checklist and you should always have what you need ensuring a great time. The below checklist has drastically cut back on the amount of items that we have forgotten at home.

1. Food – Extremely expensive at the beach.
2. Drinks - Extremely expensive at the beach.
3. Spoons and forks depending on what food you bring.
4. Cooler for food and drinks.
5. Towels.
6. Sunscreen – A must have.
7. Bathing suits – A must have.
8. Change of cloths for after the pool or beach.
9. Toys like buckets, shovels, boogie boards for the beach and rafts or flotation toys for the pool.
10. Radio.
11. Books or magazines.
12. Umbrella to provide sun protection at the beach or pool.
13. Chairs.
14. Sunglasses.
15. Hat.
16. Flip flops or water shoes.
17. Blanket or neat sheet for the beach.
18. Beach tags – if necessary.
19. Camera or camcorder – To capture all of the good times being had.

Let me know some of your "must haves" for your trips and have a great time at the beach or pool this summer!

1). FREE Family Film Festival by Regal Entertainment Group. For 9 weeks starting in June, select theatres will be showing free movies at 10am on Tuesday and Wednesdays. More than 35 states are participating, so check to see if a theatre near you is offering a free movie!

2). AMC’s Summer Movie Camp starts June 17- August 5. Movies are only $1 and play every Wednesday at 10am. The best part is that the admission prices support charity.

3). Harkin’s Summer Movie Fun allows you to watch 10 movies, in 10 weeks, for only $7. Individual tickets are $2 each, but when you buy Season tickets for $7, you have access to all the movies. Movies are shown at 9:45am and different days depending on the theatre.

4). CineMark’s Summer Movie Clubhouse. Watch 10 movies for only $5 or $1 per show. All movies play in the morning, days vary by theatre, and are rated G or PG.


5). Home Depot, Lowe’s and Michaels all offer free do-it yourself classes for kids all year round. Check your local stores to find out about classes and when they are offered.

6). Bass Pro Shops’ Family Summer Camp. Free Family Activities are offered every Saturday and Sunday 5/30-7/4 from noon-6pm. Activities include crafts, a laser shooting gallery, workshops, photos, a s’mores cookout, and more. Since activities vary at select locations, you may want to call ahead to find out more.


7). Target FREE Events. Target is sponsoring family fun events in over 40 different museums across the country. Even if there is not a museum by you, you’ll want to check out the locations and events if you plan to travel this summer. You may find a free event on your vacation!

8). Bank of America’s Museums on Us program. If you have a Bank of America card (ATM, credit, etc.) you can get free Admission to over 100 museums, science centers, zoos, and botanical gardens. To find participating museums near you, go Here.

9) Free Bowling with KidsBowlFree.com. Bowling centers around the country are offering 2 free games of bowling for kids every day this summer.

10) The best attraction around? Disney! Everyone gets in free to a Disney park on their birthday in 2009. You need to register before you go and proof of birth date is required for admission.

Guest post written by Melissa at Saving Cents with Sense. A site dedicated to helping families find the best deals, store savings and more!

Becoming a parent has made me pretty particular about the types of items I put on my child's skin. Last year we searched high and low for a sunscreen that would not break out Graham's skin. I know that if I am ever blessed with a little girl that I will be purchasing the next product I am about to tell you about.

Piggy Paint is a natural nail polish that is a mixture of water and other natural ingredients. There are no smelly odors, no toxic chemicals, and no damage to your little girl's nails or her environment. It is nice to know that we are purchasing items that not only keep our kids safe, but also do not harm the environment that they will be inheriting.

There are several different adorable colors to choose from that are sure to please your little girl's piggies! Even though the nail polish is made from natural materials, it dries to a hard, durable finish. Painting finger nails can also be a learning experience! It helps with fine motor skills and can be a tool for learning about colors and patterns. Piggy Paint even has natural Nail Polish Remover that is also safe and odorless.

Piggy Paint retails for $9.99 and all orders $25 and over earn FREE shipping.

Guest Post by: Kate

This is my first summer with two kids. And, I'm scared! I know, I know, I'm not the first mom in the world to have two young kids and clearly I'll survive. My main concern is that we live in Florida and it is HOT. Last summer I spent nearly every day at the pool or the beach with my son. Now that he's 2.5 and my daughter is 7 months old it's a whole new world. And to make our beach and pool trips successful we need a whole new round of summer products. Here are a few I'm hoping will make our life easier.

I am a fan of babywearing so I've spent a lot of time looking for and researching water-friendly baby carriers. They've been surprisingly hard to come by! There are two that caught my eye. The TaylorMade Water Mesh Sling is a traditional ring sling allowing you to carry a child from birth to 35 pounds in five different positions. It's made of well, mesh, so it doesn't absorb the water and won't get heavy. The TaylorMade Sling is $37. The WaterKid Baby Carrier is made of neoprene and designed for babies 12 to 25 pounds. It can be used to carry baby on the front or the hip. It sells for $49.95.

In addition to juggling two kids I have to manage to get out of the house for some fun while maintaining our routine and nap schedule. I readily admit that I'm a stickler when it comes to naptime, but it's not realistic to squeeze the pool in between Baby Girl's morning and afternoon nap or after nap and before dinner. So, I love the idea of the Infant Cabana from One Step Ahead so my little one can snooze while Toddler Boy and I get some quality suntime. The cabana protects baby from the sun and folds up compactly into an included carrying case. (And, shameless plug, I'll be giving one of these away on The Shopping Mama next month.)

For the days you can't make it to the beach or the pool (and there are plenty of those with two kids) a backyard kiddie pool is a necessity. Even Baby Girl can get in on the fun there! Want an extra special pool to make the neighbors jealous? Check out the Bouncer-Ball Pit Slide Combo pool at One Step Ahead. Back to reality. If your kiddo is anything like my son they'd be happy to play in any ol' plastic blow up pool from the local Target.

Finally, your kiddos need some great swimwear. For Toddler Boy, I LOVE Gymboree. I am addicted. But, honestly, they have the cutest freaking bathing suit shorts with matching rash guards. Toddler Boy is rocking the Skull & Crossbones! If you're looking for something totally practical and cheap, check out BabySunWear.com. The website is offering discontinued Protect-A-Bub bathing suits at ridiculously good prices. Two piece bathing suits are only $9. But, hurry because when they're gone, they're gone.







Kate is the author of The Shopping Mama and is a self professed online shopping addict! The Shopping Mama is THE source for all the unique and fabulous things you need for your little ones but don't have time to find yourself!

I am so excited about this product! I take a ton of pictures because memories are important to me. Before the Picture Keeper I was spending several hours making sure my memories were safe! I would upload them to my photo saving software, then I would also upload them to Walgreens just in case my computer caught a virus, and then I would copy them onto CD for a back up! It took me forever and honestly, I have gotten bad about backing things up lately. But now, I don't have to worry about any of this!

The Picture Keeper is a sanity saving device that INSTANTLY saves your photos for you on a small USB Drive! Now I don't have a hundred picture CD's floating around! Here's how the Picture Keeper works:

1. Insert Picture Keeper
2. Select "OK" from AutoRun Menu
3. Select "Start Backup"
4. Select "Complete" to close
5. Disconnect Picture Keeper and keep in a safe place!
6. All of your memories are safe and sound
7. SIMPLE! SANITY SAVING! SUCCESS!

The Picture Keeper comes in 3 different sizes depending on your needs (4GB, 8GB, 16GB). I tried out the 8GB which is said to hold about 8,000 pictures. I must have small pictures because it is currently holding over 13,000 and says it has 68% space left! You can run the free tutorial on their website that will tell you what size Picture Keeper you need.

Guest Post by: Tammy Litke

Summer is off to a roaring start and the warm days are some of the best to take advantage of a water park in your area.

Unlike time at the community pool, going to a water park is likely to be an all day event so you want to be prepared. Here are some tips that will help you make the most of a day when heading to the water park.

TICKETS
Water parks can be expensive but there are a number of ways to cut down the costs of admission. Here are a few that our local park offers that may be similar to others in the country. If not they still might give you an idea of where to look for some discounts.

* Coupons are often available on local products. Locally distributed ice cream in our market have buy one get one free admission coupons on them.

* Are you serving in the military? Many parks will give you discounted admission with a military ID card.

* A chain of gas stations in our are sells tickets at a 30% savings.

* After 4 PM the cost of admission goes down at our local park. That also might be advantageous to those with littles who might need naps and/or those who want to avoid the prime sunburn hours.

* If you plan on spending a lot of time at the water park consider getting a season pass. The December prior our local water park offers different season passes for a fraction of the cost of admission. The passes we purchased will pay for themselves if we visit the park just three times this summer.

* Check the website of the park you are visiting. A host of offers may be available.

CLOTHING

* Water shoes for the small ones might be appropriate. The cement can get hot and burn little soles. Also if the park provides a toddler play area, it might give them better mobility with the extra grip on their feet.

* Swim shirts and swim shorts are appropriate over a bathing suit. Be aware, most parks will not allow traditional shorts to be worn down the slides. Sunglasses and hats on slides are also usually a "no".

* Sunscreen is a without a doubt required. Be sure to apply it before you leave for the water park. Most sunscreens aren't effective unless they've been applied at least 10 minutes before sun exposure. Your kids are likely going to want to hit the activities as soon as you are through the gates, and won't want to wait until that sunscreen has a chance to work! Don't leave it in the back hallway either, make sure it's in your bag. You will pay a huge markup if you have to purchase some in the gift shop.

ONCE YOU'RE THERE

* Consider having change to rent a locker. It's never fun to come back to your lounge chair to rest to find your cell phone or iPod missing.

* Stay hydrated. Bring some water bottles from home to refill. It's sometimes hard to remember to get water in us - when it is all around us!

* Remember to take pictures. A disposable camera is great to bring along if you don't want to bring your expensive digital camera. You want to preserve these fun memories!

DINING

* Make sure you know your specific destination's policies about food before you bring your own in. Our local park does not allow outside food, but a daily admission pass allows you to leave and re-enter the water park.

*A cooler with fruits, veggies and sandwiches can be packed, and a picnic lunch from the trunk can be had if you don't desire the fast food offering or prices the park offers for dining choices.

WEATHER

* Unfortunately none of us have the ability to know a week ahead of time what the weather will be like. This could change your plans if the water park you want to visit is a significant driving distance from your home. That can turn into great disappoint, especially if it has been planned for some time.

* Make sure and save your receipts, some parks may refund your money or give you an alternate pass or discount coupons if they close for a certain number of hours on the day of your visit due to inclement weather.

Whatever your plans are this summer if you head off for a day at the water park, I hope that it is filled with much fun and memories to last for years!

Chalkboard spray paint has intrigued me for years. I’ve never had a chance to work with it and I am so excited to explore this product with Go Graham Go readers. I love anything that can be customized, functional everyday objects that change with the times. My trusty kitchen chalkboard has held softball schedules, grocery lists and birthday greetings. As my mom always said, “if one is good, then let’s have ten.” Enter: Krylon’s chalkboard spray paint. I’m using Krylon because that is what was available in my area. I stopped by Hobby Lobby and picked up a can for $6.99. According to the Krylon website it creates a smooth, slate-like finish on wood, metal, glass, plaster, ceramic, or paper. Wow! Let’s just see about that!

I collect picture frames at thrift stores and flea markets- I always have something to frame.

I really wanted to try this stuff out on glass so I’m going for a chalkboard/picture frame combo. I used masking tape and measured off a 5x7 inch area where I would like to put a picture. The rest of the glass is coated really easily with the chalkboard spray paint. I decided to paint the frame too, and it gave it a beautiful sheen.

Following the directions on the can, I waited 24 hours for it to fully dry before I tried it out. Argh! The waiting!! Then finally, I was able to peel off my masking tape, clean up the edges with a blade and prime the surface. Krylon says to give the surface a once-over with chalk to get things ready.

I had a great time writing on this frame! I tried several different things and each time it wiped really clean and the black is really beautiful. I love that it can change with the months! Although, I will probably end up making several versions of this project so I don't have to change it.

That turned out great- but I want to try one more surface and I have just the thing; a metal “No Trespassing” sign that has looming in my craft area for years. The metal sign can be used as a chalkboard or a magnet board.

The spray paint went on really smoothly again and it was so fantastically glossy I could see the stucco wall in the reflection. Seriously, what is that on that newspaper?

I decided to use a picture easel instead of trying to hang it. I finished it off with my favorite quote this week by James Matthew Barrie. I think this is going to live in the nursery until we change it.


I have to say I love this stuff! It’s easy to use, it really turned my two surfaces into suitable chalkboards and I still have plenty left. I’d say one can should make about 6 projects of this size. For bigger projects and walls I would recommend picking up the Chalkboard Brush-On.

It's been absolutely wonderful being a guest blogger on Go Graham Go, thank you Felicia for the opportunity! For more of my craftiness or photography or reviews or poems or bloggings in general, pretty please visit my Bloggity Blog over at MadMadamEm.BlogSpot.com and subscribe! Thanks!