Go Graham Go: Parenting | Recipes | DIY | Brand Ambassador | Product Reviews | NC Mom Blog

It may not officially be summer, but it sure does feel like it around here!  We are already loading up with sunscreen as we head out the door to play each morning and avoiding the heat of the day (unless we are in the pool).  With summer brings a whole new world of concerns for me and Graham's super sensitive skin.  I have to put sunscreen on him, but there are so many brands that I can't use because they break him out.

Sunbow sent along a grouping of their new sunscreen products and they have been working great!  What we love the most about them is that they go on with a color (yellow or pink) and then dries clear.  This way you can make sure you are getting maximum coverage (while having fun)!  Sponge Bob and Dora grace the covers of the bottles.



All Sunbow products are:

• Water resistant
• Zinc Oxide formulas
• Hypoallergenic
• Paba-free
• Made in the USA

You can pick up Sunbow sunscreens from about $12.99-$7.99 online or at Drugstore.com!

This product was provided free of charge by Sunbow. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info. Subscribe to Go Graham Go! by Email as well as follow us on Twitter!

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site
If you have a tractor/construction lover in your house, you are going to want to pick up this bedtime story from Chronicle Books.  Such a sweet story of all of the construction equipment going to bed.  What a great idea for your kids that are through with the Goodnight Moon and are ready for more "big boy/girl" titles.  Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site is hardcover and retails for about $16.99.



Shoot for the Moon: Lessons on Life From a Dog Named Ruby
What I love about this book is that it was inspired by the real life shelter dog who was rescued named Rudy.  The illustrations are gorgeous and feature fun and inspirational life lessons or one liners.  This book would be a perfect gift for any age and even more wonderful being used in the school setting.  Shoot for the Moon: Lessons on Life From a Dog Named Ruby is hardcover and retails for $15.99.

This product was provided free of charge by Chronicle Books. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.


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A few weekends ago we visited my best friend who lives a few hours away.  She wanted to make a big breakfast for us, and as we stayed up late the night before she started taking inventory of her cabinets.  "Oh no! I thought I had pancake mix," she said.  I started rummaging through her cabinets and decided that she HAD to have enough to make pancakes.  So, I grabbed the iPad and ran to my favorite recipe website (AllRecipes.com) and found THE EASIEST pancake recipe on Earth!  Seriously, you all have these items in your cabinets and refrigerator.  They also taste great.  The best part for me is knowing that if I don't have the super easy pancake mix (just add water), I can whip these out in no time!

Easy Pancakes Recipe


What you will need:
1 cup flour
2 Tbls baking powder
2 Tbls sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbls vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 egg beaten

Preparation:
Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl and create a well.  Mix the wet ingredients together and pour into the well of the dry ingredients.  Mix until smooth.  Heat a griddle or slightly buttered pan to medium heat and pour about 1/4 cup of batter out for each pancake.  Brown on both sides and eat!  We use a griddle (because we are IHOP like that) and I always set it to 350 degrees and butter the griddle once.  YUM!

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I don't know if you guys remember this promotion last year, but Cottonelle is offering $1 off coupons of their moist wipes for you and a friend with their "Get Fresh with a Friend" campaign.  The offer is only good through June 1st, so you will need to act quick!  I can find sales on these at my local grocery store from time to time, so this coupon may add up to tons of savings if you use it at the right time.  You can probably just about get them free if you play your cards right!




Why?
Why do we use moist wipes?  Well, for those of you who have very small children, you know the value of them!  We started using moist wipes when Graham began potty training at age 2.  Not only were they great for the bathroom, but they worked well for all purpose wipes.  They are thicker than  your average baby wipe and work great on extremely sticky hands!  Now that Graham is 4 they are still much more convenient to use.  They also help him feel more confident which is something that is priceless to me. 



What's New?
Now, Cottonelle has made it even easier for my little guy to be independent.  They have created a very handy dispenser and hanger that makes perfect sense!  When you open up your new pack of Cottonelle Moist Wipes you will find the hanger as well as adhesive strips.  Just follow the directions to apply the adhesive strips and hang your wipes right above your regular dispenser where they are convenient.  If you are having trouble you can always view the instructional video Cottonelle put together.  I also really appreciate the ease of the dispenser itself.  The button is nice and big and makes the door automatically pop up, which is nice for tiny hands.

So, make sure to head over to Cottonelle to pick up your $1 off coupon for yourself and a friend before time is up!  I know that they will be coming in handy.  Besides, who doesn't like a good deal?!


I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Cottonelle and received product and a promotional item as a thank you for my participation. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.
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Words could never express how thankful I am for those who have served our country in so many different capacities.  My own family members have risked their lives and I bet we all know some that have lost theirs.  Today, I want to say thank you to all of the service men and women who make it possible for us to do things like this....

Graham has really gotten into these two new books that parents are also going to enjoy.  Here are some fun finds if you have any birthday parties coming up (we were invited to about 10 just last weekend... no kidding)!



Sports Illustrated KIDS in Your Face 3D: 3D Sports Blast
When we first received this book for review, Graham and I both spent about an hour being mesmerized by the photos!  Not only is the photography amazing, but it is 3D.  I am not kidding when I say that these pictures make you feel like you are actually a part of the sports experience.  I also love that Sports Illustrated decided to include so many different forms of sport: baseball, kayaking, racing, fishing, ice skating and more!  3D glasses are included.  Sports Illustrated KIDS 3D Sports Blast is a hardcover book that retails for about $19.95 and is worth every penny.



Time for Kids Big Book of How: 501 Facts Kids Want to Know
This is Graham's new bedtime story pick every night.  When his preschool teacher asked us if we had been talking a lot about poisonous snakes at home it caught me off guard.  Then I remembered that Graham has been completely intrigued with this book!  His snake talk is thanks to the page on "How Does a Snake Inject Its Venom?".  You can also find out how to make a survival kit for hurricanes, how elephants communicate, how to make blubber and so much more.  I think the coming summer season calls for the "How to Make Ice Cream" portion of the book!  Yum!  Time for Kids Big Book of How is hardcover and retails for about $17.95.  This is a great way to spend some family time learning together.

This product was provided free of charge by. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info. Subscribe to Go Graham Go! by Email as well as follow us on Twitter!

As the time grew closer for me to give birth to Graham, the more I realized that the desire of my heart was to be with him as much as possible.  I couldn't stand the thought of leaving him 5 days a week for over 8 hours a day.  Luckily, I have a very forward thinking principal at my school who agreed to a job share that left me working only 2 1/2 days per week.  I am beyond blessed in this scenario.  However, I know of so many moms who would love to find jobs that would allow them to make real money and still be at home with their kids.  Enter Juice in the City!



If you live in and around the Charlotte, NC area, Juice in the City is recruiting new Local Business Consultants!  Why is this so exciting?  If you are like me and so many of my friends, you are all about supporting local businesses and have a wonderful feel for your hometown and what is hip and happening.  You also love your kids and would like to spend time with them while making money.  If this sounds like you, then you really should consider the opportunity!



I had the chance to speak with Kelly (District Manager for JITCC) as well as Leslie (LBC for JITCC).  What I can tell you is that I would jump at the chance to work with these two intelligent and fun ladies!  I also really wanted to share with you all what they had to say about working for Juice in the City.  I think it really hits home to hear it from their perspective.



Kelly (DM for JITCC)
Kelly has been working with Juice in the City since about November.  She has two children and loves the flexibility that this job brings her.  She loves that she is able to make her own hours which allows her to participate more in the activities of her children.  I called her while she was on her way to her son's field day at school.  While she has both children in school, she recalled a time when she had to bring her 9 year old son along to source a deal.  "He actually sat down, pitched the deal, and got the contract".  So, having your kids with you sometimes may be super beneficial!

Leslie (LBC for JITCC)
Leslie has been a floral designer and nanny in previous jobs.  When her son was born it was a challenge to find something to do from home.  So many work at home jobs either don't pay anything, they are boring (stuffing envelopes), or they are a scam.  Leslie works around her 3 year old son's schedule.  She can make phone calls and answer emails while he is napping.  Of course, part of the job involves meeting local business owners in person.  Leslie uses the time her son is in preschool to handle the sourcing.  Leslie loves that she can make real money that is worth her time.  "I love the team spirit!  We are not competing with each other.  We are friends and help each other".  Working for Juice in the City has allowed Leslie to feel even more connected to the local businesses and the owners she helps support.  "Working as an LBC is great for moms who need to step out of their comfort zone and see new places and meet new people."  What's even better?  You get to review everything that you source!  Leslie has had free massages, free pony rides for her son, and even free cupcakes!

So, how many hours do you need to work?  Leslie probably puts in some of the most hours on her team and works about 5-6 hours per day.  She does her sourcing in 3 mornings for the 3 hours her son is in preschool.  The thing is, you can make it what you want it to be.  When Leslie suffered a recent loss of a pet, she decided to take a break and didn't have to answer to anyone.  She just took the time she needed.  How nice it would be to just stay at home when your kids are sick instead of taking a personal day or sick leave?  Juice in the City also gives back locally and globally!  Leslie spoke to me about a few instances where they raised money for local preschools and the tsunami.  It truly sounds like an extremely supportive community from the very top!

How to Apply
Applying is super easy!  Just head over to the Juice in the City page and fill in the short application.  Who knows, maybe you are on your way to a fun, creative, flexible, part-time job that allows you to stay at home with your kids!

This is a compensated post by Juice in the City.  I truly believe in what Juice in the City is about and completely support this wonderful opportunity. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.

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Graham was taking care of our Corgi after he took a spill in the yard and hurt his leg. He was feeding him grapes at their "picnic". I love seeing the tender heart that Graham has.




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Oh how I wish that this was for my favorite Asian Cuisine in town!  If you are in Charlotte I am told that this is an amazing deal at a great place.  Make sure you head over to Juice in the City ASAP because this deal will be going fast!  Who can beat a half priced dinner anyway?




This post was sponsored by Juice in the City.  Affiliate links were used in this post.  Please see my Terms of Use for more info.
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Welcome to Graham's new obsession!  When I first read about this iPad app I was intrigued by the interaction and the learning capabilities, but I never thought that Graham, at the age of 4, would be so interested in it.  I also never imagined that he would be learning so much!

Ansel and Clair's Adventures in Africa is a new app by Cognitive Kids that will leave even the parents wanting to play along.  No kidding.  I am just as engrossed in this new iPad app as Graham.  First of all, we have never owned an iPad app that operates and interacts quite like this one.  It truly is seamless in the way it integrates curriculum (science, geography, history and concepts).  Not only that, but it has absolutely wonderful graphics that will pull your kids in!  It truly puts you right in Africa and makes you a part of the mission with Ansel and Clair.



Ansel is an alien who loves to take photos and learn.  Clair is a robot who knows all there is to know about everything!  She helps guide Ansel through Africa and the various locations as they try to find the missing parts to the spaceship.  I love how it incorporates learning at every turn!  Just click on animals or other items to learn more about them.  Take a picture and store it in your log.  Fun games pop up and enhance the learning experience even more.



But, don't take my word for it!  Here is Graham explaining (briefly) about the game from a 4 year old's perspective:





Honestly, for $4.99 you are getting a bargain in my opinion.  I would easily pay more for this iPad app and that is saying a lot (I'm pretty cheap).  Graham is constantly talking about the things he has learned from this game which tells me that it has captured his attention and is providing a repetition that promotes learning.  Ansel and Clair's Adventures in Africa is best for ages 4-9.  I can't wait until they release a new one!
 
This product was provided free of charge by Cognitive Kid. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.

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Here is a fun treat that you and the kids can make together! Not to mention, it is perfect for those hot summer days.



Frozen Honey-Dipped Bananas from The Do-It-Myself Kids' Cookbook ($17.99 ages 4 and up)



What you will need:

• 2 bananas
• 3 Tbls of lemon juice
• 2 Tbls of honey
• 1 cup crisped rice cereal
• 1 cup sprinkles
• pop sickle sticks

Preparation: 
Peel and cut the bananas in half.  Stick pop sickle sticks into the ends of the bananas and roll in lemon juice.  Place on wax paper in the freezer for several hours until frozen.  Set aside three plates, one with honey, one with cereal, and the other with sprinkles.  Roll the bananas in the honey and then into the cereal and sprinkles.  Eat and enjoy!



If you are looking for a fun craft idea, check out The Lonely Sock Club!  All you need is one sock and this fun book that gives you tons of ways to make new creations out of that sock.  It is loaded with googly eyes, pom poms, yarn, felt and more!  The Lonely Sock Club book retails for $16.99.



The Eye Q Picture Puzzler is an exceptional way to put those little minds to work hunting down different matches, numbers and more!  The book includes a marker that wipes clean so that you can play over and over again!  Eye Q Picture Puzzler retails for $11.99.

This product was provided free of charge by Downtown Bookworks. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info.
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The running joke in my family is how inept I am when it comes to anything math related.  If you don't believe me, ask my dad!  He was the one who would spend countless hours at night trying to help me with my math homework.  I can honestly say that it got to the point where I felt like giving up on many occasions.  I actually did give up my senior year of high school just because I knew I didn't need the math course in order to get to college.  Luckily, my major only required me to take one math course in under grad and one in graduate school!



If you have a child ages 4-8 that is having a tough time with math, this might be a fun alternative, especially if they think artistically!  You Can Count on Monsters takes basic shapes and creates fun monsters on each page that relate to the mathematical equation on the page beside.  This one of kind book actually just made the LA Times Summer Reading List!  Now, remember I told you that I am math challenged, this book actually took my husband explaining to me how it works!  However, once he pointed out how the monsters relate to the numbers, it started to become a fun game for me.

You Can Count on Monsters can be a great start for younger kids, but I think that this may be a little too much for Graham at the moment (he is 4).  It is fun to start pointing out how numbers can relate to a picture or pattern though.  This book focuses on the building blocks of numbers 1-100, prime and composite numbers, factors, multiplication and more.

You can purchase the paperback You Can Count on Monsters book for $15.19 right now on Amazon.  This is definitely a great tool to add to your home library for keeping their minds fresh this summer.

This product was provided free of charge. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info. Subscribe to Go Graham Go! by Email as well as follow us on Twitter!

You all know my love for Pampers and I am very excited to share with you another cool thing that Pampers is doing this summer!  Just in time for the warm weather, Pampers is offering limited edition Pampers Prints!  We received a box last week and they are absolutely adorable.  I don't know about you, but when the weather turns extremely hot, I often just let Davis roam around in his diaper.  That was the thought behind these cute new diapers.



For girls you will find a floral, polka dots and hearts print and for the boys they have created cars and argyle prints.  There are 2 prints per box of diapers and they will be available in sizes 1 through 4.  Watch for these fun diapers to hit the shelves late May and stick around until the end of the summer.



Looking for even more fashion tips and inspiration?  Rosie Pop shares her best advice with Pampers:






Rosie's Recommendations for Mom

• Whether you’re an expectant mom or a new mom, try a floral-print maxi dress – a style that is flattering for all body types. And don’t be afraid to show some leg; knee-length versions of the maxi dress can be just as flattering. Pair your dress with a basic black cardigan, a wardrobe must-have, for a more versatile look.

• Plaids are another fabulously fresh print for summer, and can work perfectly in a more casual setting. Try a crisp plaid shirt with basic white shorts, which pairs beautifully with a simple wedge.

• Take the classic shirtdress and make it your own by finding one in a pattern that feels fresh and lively. Accessorize with a long chain necklace for a vertical and flattering everyday look.

Rosie's Recommendations for Baby

• Fashion your little man in the classic cuteness of madras shorts or overalls and a tee. It’s the perfect getup for playing or visiting grandma.

• Doll up your baby girl's warm weather basics with a printed romper and baby sandals, the perfect playful pieces for any of your summer’s excursions.

• Try a solid, colorful tank or tee - a great standby for everyday style and the perfect match for new Pampers Limited Edition Prints diapers.

This product was provided free of charge by Pampers. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info. Subscribe to Go Graham Go! by Email as well as follow us on Twitter!

Davis is slowly but surely getting a handle on this whole crawling thing!  It is so cute to watch him get up on his knees and rock back and forth and then lunge forward as hard as he can!  Ultimately, he ends up doing a combination of crawling and army crawling that leaves his knees pretty red.  We have carpeted flooring for the most part, so he has a slight case of rug burn.



Ah Goo Baby has a new innovative product that works pretty well for protecting little knees.  Kneekers can be easily slid into place on the knees.  They are like knee pads for babies!  The padding on the knee has grippers built in making it easier to crawl on surfaces like linoleum or hardwood.





Davis is lovingly nicknamed "string bean" because he is so skinny!  Therefore, he has pretty skinny legs.  Kneekers have no problem staying on his legs even after he has worn them around for several hours.  They also have not left marks on his legs.  They definitely have a lot of stretch and should fit most crawlers, but you may want to keep in mind that they Ah Goo Baby will be coming out with a Chunk-a-Licious size if your baby has chubbier legs (love that name).

You can purchase Kneekers for $12.95 from the Ah Goo Baby website.

This product was provided free of charge by Ah Goo Baby. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info. Subscribe to Go Graham Go! by Email as well as follow us on Twitter!

As many of you know, we just got back from an awesome trip to the Poconos with Reviewer's Retreat.  We had a ton of fun at the Great Wolf Lodge there and even visited Hershey on our way home.  The bad part about the trip definitely was the drive.  It was about an 11 hour trip if we had attempted it in one day.  We made the choice to split it up since we have a 4 year old and an 8 month old.  Luckily, we have a DVD player that we put in the car JUST for trips and Graham brought several movies along for the ride.  You want to know the one he watched 90% of the time?  The new Mickey's Great Outdoors DVD.



Starting tomorrow, you will be able to pick up this 5 episode DVD that features fun shows that are all about getting outdoors!  This is perfect timing for summer and back yard camp outs to come.  Mickey's Great Outdoors includes: Mickey's Fish Story (Graham's personal favorite), Mickey's Camp Out, Mickey and Minnie's Jungle Safari, Daisy in the Sky, and Daisy's Grasshopper.  Disney has also included a digital copy that is perfect for uploading on your computer, iPad, iPod, iPhone and  more.  With everything going Blu-ray lately, it is always good to have a digital copy for the road.  Mickey's Great Outdoors also includes the fun Mickey Mote that works along with the DVD.  It really is easy to set up as well.  I had it completed in less than 5 minutes.





You can purchase the 3 pack (Mickey Mote, DVD and Digital Copy) for about $29.99.  For $19.99 you can skip the Mickey Mote and have the DVD and Digital Copy.

This product was provided free of charge by Disney. These are my honest opinions on the product. I do not post reviews on products I can not stand behind. Please see my Terms of Use for more info. Subscribe to Go Graham Go! by Email as well as follow us on Twitter!

If you are looking to throw a Monster Truck Birthday Party or any type of transportation themed party, here are a few fun ideas for you!  I wanted to make Graham's 4th birthday fun and memorable with small details.  I've even included links to some free printables you can use for your Monster Truck Birthday Party!

Making a Monster Truck Birthday Cake is easier than you would think!  We let Graham pick out 2 different monster trucks and 3 different cars to go on the cake.  I simply made two round cakes using a marble cake mix and dark chocolate fudge frosting.  I baked a small batch of brownies to use as the mud for the top of the cake.



Once you have your two cakes together (frosting in between), cover the stack of cakes completely with frosting.  Crumble the brownies in a separate container leaving some bigger pieces.  Place the 3 cars in a straight line (the crushing line) on the cake making sure to leave room for a brownie mud pile and monster truck.  Begin adding the brownie pieces to the top of the cake.  I made a pile at the top of the cars in order to form a small hill and lined the cars in brownies as well.  Have fun and be creative!  For the finishing touch, I added a monster truck climbing the cake.  Just press one of the wheels into the side of the cake.  You can download the free checkered flags (print them small) and place them on lollipop sticks.



We also served Monster Truck Tortilla chips as a fun appetizer!  They are extremely easy and fun to make.  Serve them with salsa, guacamole, or sour cream.  I purchased the Monster Truck Cookie Cutter from A Baker's Place online and was very pleased with the quick service.



Another delicious idea is to create Monster Truck Wheels using bananas, whole wheat tortillas, and Nutella!  Yum!



I also created Graham's invitations on Photoshop.  You can print off a generic version of the Monster Truck Birthday Invitations for free!  I made it so that you can fill in your information.  I've also included free printable monster truck cupcake toppers or lollipop tags for you to use.  Here's an easy recipe for cake pops:


Cake Pops
What You Will Need:

• Regular box cake mix (flavor of choice).  Try to avoid "extra moist" varieties.  If you have a moist variety you can always cut out half of the egg and oil.  I've done this on several occassions.
•  One tub of frosting (flavor of choice)
• Lollipop sticks with plastic covers and ties
• 1 pack of candy melts (any color)

Preparation:

• Bake the cake over night in a rectangle pan
• The next day, cut the cake into 4ths
• Rub two pieces of the cake sections together over a bowl to crumble as fine as possible.  Make sure to crumble larger pieces.  Repeat this process until all of the cake is crumbled.
• Mix half of the tub of frosting into the crumbled cake well.  You want to mix until you see no frosting on the back of your spoon.
• Start rolling into balls about 1 1/2 wide
• Place them onto wax paper in the freezer for about 15 minutes
• Melt the candy melts in the microwave (be careful not to over melt... about 30 seconds and stir)
• Move the cake balls to the refrigerator and only work with about 4 out at a time.  They need to remain as cool as possible.
• Dip one end of the lollipop stick into the candy melt and then into the cake ball (about halfway in) then swipe the entrie cake pop into the candy melt covering as much of the cake ball as you can.  Use styrofoam or an egg carton to stand the pop on to dry.  
• Repeat this process until you are done and then cover with plastic wrap once they are dry

Looking for a cute way to decorate?  You can also download this free Happy Birthday Bunting printable I created to match the yellow and black theme of the party.

I love to see birthday party ideas!  Please feel free to leave links to your fun birthday parties in the comments below.

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