Teaching Time for Toddlers

This week I would like to highlight a surprisingly great place to get learning tools and supplies for toddlers.

Your local Dollar Tree.

That's right, the place where everything's a dollar.

They have construction paper, writing paper, crayons, coloring books, flashcards, magnets, and more for, that's right, just a dollar.  The exact same stuff can cost up to four times as much at Wal-Mart and Target.  Maybe the crayons aren't Crayola or the paper isn't archival quality, but does your kid care?  Not a bit.  I was also quite pleasantly surprised by the number of pre-school and kindergarten geared workbooks at my local store.  Obviously, these workbooks are a bit too advanced for Catherine, but I loved that they had workbooks for math, reading, penmanship, and more!  I certainly see us picking them up in the future.

We did pick up a few things over the weekend--some new flashcards, magnetic numbers, and a Bible themed coloring book.

I would love to say thank you to all the people who linked up in the past!  I love everything that you've shared!


Now for this week's party!  What have you and your toddler(s) done lately?  Have you made anything?  Cooked something?  Do you have a tip or a story to share?  If it is toddler related, this is the place to link up!  I can't wait to see what you have.  I'd love if you'd grab the button from my sidebar and put it somewhere on your blog--but you don't have to.  

Handmade Envelopes Using Scrapbook Paper

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon this awesome post by Emily of Design And Nonsense.  She used wallpaper samples to make envelopes.  (Economical and cute, right?)

When I saw this project I immediately thought of the stacks (and stacks) of beautiful and fun scrapbooking paper I own.  I decided that this would be a perfect project for me.  And of course, I like to make my own cards so these two things just go hand in hand!

Even though it is super duper simple I won't tell you how to make your own envelopes here, you will have to visit Emily's blog post.  (It's only fair, since that's where I discovered this awesome and  yet simple technique.)

I do have a tip to share though.  When folding the flaps of the envelope use a ruler to help make sure that everything is straight and square.  On my first envelope I didn't do this and it shows.  Also, use the ruler to press down the folds--this will help to make them crisp.

Today I made business card sized envelopes.  These are perfect to mail a quick note to someone or used as a way to make your business card stand out.

Personally, I think these would be awesome at blogger conferences or for Etsy shop owners!

My entry into Terrific Tuesdays @ Adventures of a DIY Mom sponsored by Appliances Online and their best Range Cookers. 
"My entry into the Make it Great Monday party hosted by Appliances online and their best Range Cookers."
I'm entering Rae Gun Ramblings link party sponsored by Appliances Online and their best Range Cookers
My entry into Shine on Fridays sponsored by Appliances Online

Check it out!

Check it out! 

I love linky parties!  Check out some of the places where I link up!

Also, I'm excited to be hosting and co-hosting a variety of giveaways right now, so please feel free to enter one or two...or all of them!

For Bloggers: Social Media Buttons (8/11)
Rose Earrings and Ring (8/10)
$30 Bath and Body Works Gift Card (8/11)
Chanel Tote (8/7)
Power Wheels (8/12)

Power Wheels Giveaway!

Hers or His Power Wheels Jeep Event

I am so excited to be able to be a part of this giveaway event!  I know that when I was a kid I wanted "my own car".  Here is a chance to make one lucky kid's day!

Hosted by: Mom Blog Society

Co-hosts: Military Travel Mama, Embracing Beauty, Heavenly Savings, Mom Does Reviews,

Mommy Moments with Abby , Powered by Mom, Mom to Bed by 8, Meliaville, and Kat's Cafe

Event Giveaway Dates: July 30 - August 13

Prize: Fisher Price Power Wheels Jeep- His or Hers

Open: Worldwide

If a winner is selected from outside of the US, they will receive a $100 Amazon Gift Certificate

Hers:

Styled after the Jeep Wrangler, this 6V battery-powered single-seat Jeep ride-on features fun Barbie styling. This vehicle features a realistic Jeep design with a rollbar.

Fisher-Price Power Wheels Barbie Jeep Battery-Powered Ride-On:

• Age Range: 3 years and up
• Goes up to 2.5 mph in forward and reverse
• Wheels: plastic
• Brakes: Power Lock Brake System
• Battery requires 18 hours to charge
• Battery charge lasts up to 40 minutes
• Dimensions: 38"L x 26.375"W x 17.125"H
• Maximum weight capacity: 50 lbs
• Adult assembly required
• Assemble in 20 minutes or less

His:

Styled after the Jeep Wrangler, this 6V single-seat Jeep has the Hot Wheels license. This vehicle features realistic Jeep design with rollbar.

Fisher-Price Power Wheels Hot Wheels Jeep 6-Volt Battery-Powered Ride-on:

• Age Range: 3 years and up
• Goes up to 2.5 mph in forward and reverse
• Wheels: plastic
• Brakes: Power Lock Brake System
• Battery requires 18 hours to charge
• Battery charge lasts up to 40 minutes
• Dimensions: 38"L x 26.375"W x 17.125"H
• Maximum weight capacity: 50 lbs
• Adult assembly required
• Assemble in 20 minutes or less

One lucky winner will get to pick his or hers 

Power Wheels Jeep!

Enter on the Easy Rafflecopter below!

Remember, you can't win if you don't enter.

(It only takes a minute!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. The Philosopher's Wife is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment.

Social Media Buttons and a Giveaway

If you are a new blogger you know that there is so much to learn!  (And I am positive that seasoned bloggers are always learning something new too!)  Sure, signing up to use Blogger isn't too difficult but if you are trying to give your blog a foothold in the blogging world you need some "extras".  Most importantly you need to let people know who you are and give them various ways of connecting with you.

One great way to help connect with your readers are social media buttons.  (Not to be confused with the sharing buttons found at the bottom of posts--also quite important).  These give your readers a quick and easy way to connect with you--however they want!  Some people love viewing tweets, others love status updates, some people want to avoid the hassle of surfing and had all of their favorite blogs delivered via RSS, and others love browsing pins.  The Philosopher's Wife can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Etsy, RSS, and is always available via email.  The best way to make sure that my readers know that they can connect with me is a clearly marked and easily found set of social media buttons.

Doing these buttons yourself can be quite time consuming.  If you are anything like me you would rather spend that blogging time writing new content, promoting your blog, or some other task.  So what's a blogger to do?  

Go to Your Title Here Designs!  They have a wide assortment of pre-made and custom banners and buttons.  Here are a couple of examples, all of which I think are great!

Source

Source

Source

If you have visited The Philosopher's Wife before you might notice that I have just added my brand new awesome pink buttons, courtesy of Your Title Here Designs.  I am very happy with them.  (After entering below, please feel free to click on them and connect with me however YOU like!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Once a winner is chosen (via Rafflecopter) they will have 48 hours to respond.  In exchange for this giveaway I received one set of social media buttons.  Of course, all opinions are exclusively my own.  More Legal Stuff.  

7 Quick Takes

1. I love watching the Olympics!  I am so excited that my hubby was able to set up the converter box, which has been collecting dust since we used our government issued coupon to purchase it, so that we can have NBC's coverage on pretty much all day.  
2. An odd note regarding the Olympics: I dislike the official emblem but I really like NBC's.
3. Catherine has decided to re-enter the "NO!" stage.  
4. Great quote of the day, "Would you like to learn about Avicenna or animals?"
5. The last of my recent Ebay purchases have been trickling in.  I am super excited for new yarns and beading supplies!  Now I just need Catherine to take some long naps during the day so that I can craft.  (This week I had a lot of fun playing with the resin flowers!)
6. A commercial that plays a lot during the Olympic coverage claims that a family of four has 23 boxes of cereal a year.  To me that number seems absurdly low.  Our family of three probably goes through twice that much! So now I am curious, how many boxes really is "average"?  Are we cereal fanatics?  How many does your family go through?
7. Go team U.S.A!

Go here for more Quick Takes!

By the way, I have lots of giveaways going on right now!  

I'd love if you'd take a moment to enter one or two.  

Someone has to win, right?  You might as well throw your name in the hat!

Earrings and Ring

Bath and Body Works Gift-card

Cottage Playhouse

Soda Stream

Bath and Body Works Giveaway

Have you visited CouponCabin.com?  


This awesome company has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, O, The Oprah Magazine, USA Today, Good Morning America, MSN Money, Good Housekeeping and Yahoo! Finance, among many others.  


So, what do they do?  They work with over 3,700 retailers to help us (the consumer) have increadible savings on quality goods.  

One of these retailers is Bath and Body Works.  CouponCabin's Bath and Body Works online and printable coupons save shoppers $8.34 on average.  That's money that we could all use elsewhere! Users can grab a code quickly (less than 90 seconds on average), or sign up for CouponCabin Rewards to earn points toward gift cards.  Spending a minute and a half to save over eight bucks is totally worth it to me!  

Now, thanks to CouponCabin you have the opportunity to win a $15 gift-card to Bath and Body Works!
UPDATE: The value has been upped to $30

The giveaway begins on 7/28/12 and it ends on 8/11/12. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In addition to any disclosure required by applicable law, Promotion Partner shall include a full release of CouponCabin by each entrant or participant, with language substantially similar to the following: “By entering this promotion, each participant agrees to release, indemnify and hold harmless the Sponsor and its parent companies, affiliates and subsidiaries and their respective representatives, officers, directors, shareholders, agents and employees from and against any injuries, losses, damages, claims, actions or liability of any kind resulting from or arising from participation in this promotion.

Teaching Time for Toddlers

(Sorry this is a wee bit late!)

Today I am not going to share a toddler project or activity.  I want to share something that has made my life a little easier.  It is a very simple product.  It saves my little family both time and money.

What is it?

The Snack Trapper.  

I purchased a two pack of these about a year ago--shortly after Catherine really started eating Cheerios--on sale at Target. (Amazon has them too!)  My girl has always been a roamer, and I'll admit we didn't really enforce a high chair eating rule.  She also has always been difficult when it comes to food--seriously, from day one--so anytime she was interested in eating I wanted her to be able to grab something.  So for the longest (ok, not really that long) time I would put Cheerios in a plastic bowl or leftover container.  However, inevitably there would be as many on the floor by the end of the day as she consumed.  This meant that not only did I (or the hubby!) have to clean it up every day and night but that we were spending money on cereal just to throw away.  (Even if I try to only buy cereal when it's on sale and with a coupon and aim to never spend more than a buck a box it was still quite wasteful!)

I love the Snack Trappers.  While they don't completely stop accidental spills they do amazingly well.  Most spillage comes when she puts her hand in and pulls out too much.  The handles make it super easy to hold.  It is fairly easy to clean (certainly easier than a sippy cup!), although if I had a dishwasher I wouldn't put this in there--I am not sure how well the soft plastic lid would hold up.  Catherine uses her two trappers daily and they have held up quite well with hand-washing.  Having these around means less sweeping and less waste, now that's something I can live with!

Do you have anything Toddler related?  Did you do any cool activities?  Make something special?  Do you have any words of wisdom to share?  If it is anyway toddler related I'd love to see what you have!  Feel free to link up multiple posts--and they don't have to be written recently.  My button is on the left, feel free to grab it.  (Not necessary, but nice!)

  

The Cottage Playhouse Giveaway

Are you read for another giveaway?

This one is for the kids!  

Kids love playhouses. Indoors, outdoors, for an afternoon, or as a permanent fixture in your playroom Beezer Playhouses are the perfect setting for hours of creative pretend play. Our Playhouses are constructed from durable, 100% recyclable plastic and cardboard and disassemble in just minutes so your playhouse can easily be stored away under a bed or in a closet. Beezer decals allow the playhouses to be decorated into a cool boys clubhouse or a cute girls cottage; and the all-white interior is a blank canvas to be customized. Beezer Playhouses are perfect for smaller spaces where there isn’t room for a permanent plastic playhouse and they are great for grandparents, home day cares, and birthday parties. Beezer Playhouses are definitely “Fun Right Out Of The Box!”

YouTube

Boys and Girls Playhouse Set

A secret boys only hide out or a cute princess cottage - you get to decide with this awesome boys and girls cottage playhouse set. With almost 200 fun decals to decorate your playhouse any way you choose, this is the ultimate playhouse for creative children; and perfect for parents, grandparents, or home day cares where space is limited and play spaces are shared.
When it's time to clean up, Beezer Playhouses collapse and fold up to store in the convenient storage and carrying case which is designed to fit easily under a single bed. Beezer Playhouses are cute, durable, and interactive with plastic windows and a strong plastic doorframe. The double thickness cardboard door features a fun doorknob that is easy for kids to turn and plastic hinges which make the door far stronger and more durable than any other cardboard playhouse. Beezer Playhouses walls and roof are constructed from amazingly strong, full color cardboard with an all-white interior just waiting to be decorated. The playhouse is 100% recyclable, and just in case your kids are tough on toys, we offer a full set of replacement cardboard walls to allow you to re-use the durable plastic doors, windows, and fasteners.

Aren't they just the cutest things?  I almost want one for myself!  

One lucky winner will receive 

The Cottage from Breezer Playhouses.

Hosted by Mom to Bed by 8 and Donna's Deals and More

Giveaway ends July 31th at 11:59pm, open to US residents, ages 18+. To enter please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. The Philosopher's Wife is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment.  

Fountain Jet Soda Lover's Start-Up Kit Giveaway

The following review is by Kara, 
from Kara's Deals & Steals:

My husband and I are MAJOR soda lovers. We spend an endless amount of money feeding our Mountain Dew and Diet Pepsi habits. I was extremely excited to get the goodies pictured above. I have always been curious about the SodaStream and have heard it is a great way to conserve money rather than continuously buying 12-24 packs of soda at the store.

  **The advantages of SodaStream's Home Carbonation System include:

• Convenience: No need to carry heavy bottles from the store. The SodaStream system is simple to use and requires no batteries or electricity.
• Environmentally-Friendly: SodaStream is an "Active Green" solution that minimizes the huge eco-footprint caused by the manufacture, transport and waste of plastic bottles.
• Variety: SodaStream offers over 100 flavors to suit everyone’s taste. Regular, diet, natural, fruity flavors, ice tea, energy drinks, sport drinks, tonic and many more.
• Space Saver: No need to store bottles of beverages or empty bottles for recycling in your home.
• Personalization: Make drinks just the way you love them… more bubbles, less bubbles, sweeter or lighter, even create your own flavor!
• Family Fun: The system is quick and easy to use. It's fun for everyone and kids just love it!
• Value for Money: Great savings compared to pre-packed carbonated water and beverages.
• Satisfaction Guaranteed: SodaStream drinks makers are of extremely high quality and include a money-back satisfaction guarantee.

The eco-friendly features of this product are attractive to me. I have a family of four and it seems like we have a LOT of trash so minimizing our collection of cans and bottles is a great selling feature of the SodaStream. It is also SO incredibly easy to use. The machine has no confusing parts to put together or electrical equipment. You open the back and put the carbonator in, fill the bottle with water, twist it into place, push the button a few times to carbonate the water, untwist your bottle, pour your syrup in and that's all there is to it! The bottle makes one liter of soda and is reusable, so no bottles are going in the trash.

I tried the root beer and lemon-lime flavors. I must say, the SodaStream soda has a much more natural flavor than any soda I've ever tasted. The directions tell you to push the carbonator button three times. I had to push it five or six times to get it to a carbonation good enough for me but the flavor is great! Lemon-lime can be compared to Sprite for me but the difference in nutrition facts is outstanding.

The SodaStream syrups have a significantly fewer amount of calories, sugar, and carbs. You have to make sure your water is VERY cold before using the SodaStream. I stored a bottle of cold water in the fridge for a couple of hours and the soda tasted much more comparable to name brands. If the water isn't cold enough, I noticed the soda tended to go flat.

The SodaStream is also cost effective. You can shop on their Web site or at various retailers around the world (JCPenney, Target, Staples, Sears, and more). Every 10th soda mix you buy is FREE and each bottle of mix contains the equivalent of 33 cans of soda. These can be purchased for as low as $4.99. A 24-pack of soda cans here in Indiana costs around $6.99 ON SALE, so the SodaStream is extremely cost effective.

Will the SodaStream replace my Mountain Dew? Probably not, but it is a great "filler" or alternative to drinking an excessive amount of Mountain Dew. Plus I feel more comfortable letting my kids drink from it, because neither of them are allowed to have soda at this point in their lives due to the high sugar content. I can reduce my carbon footprint a bit with this nifty little machine too!

**Source: http://www.sodastream.com/aboutsodastream

It's me, Rachel aka The Philosopher's Wife, again! Well, it seems to me that Kara just described a pretty awesome product--certainly something that would make a welcome addition in most U.S. households! 

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader will receive a:

Fountain Jet Soda Lover's Start-Up Kit ($99.95) http://www.sodastreamusa.com/Fountain-Jet-Soda-Starter-Kit-P184.aspx

It includes: Fountain Jet – winner’s choice of color (black/silver, red/silver or white) 1 carbonating bottle, reusable for up to 3 years Reusable carbonator to fizz up to 60L of soda Variety 6-pack of popular sample-size flavors 3 full-sized flavors of the winner’s choice

Enter on the Rafflecopter below! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This giveaway is open to the U.S. only. Winner must respond within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen. The giveaway begins July 24 at 12:01a.m. and ends July 31 at 11:59p.m. Kara's Deals and Steals was given a SodaStream product to try and review. I am not responsible for shipment of the prize. I will report the winner's information to the sponsor. All opinions are 100% mine.

Chanel Tote Giveaway

Welcome to Our Grand Finale of

"Win This Bag"

Sponsored by

HipSwap

Hosted by

Sidetracked Mom’s Blog

It's finally here! The Grand Finale of the Win This Bag series of giveaways is here!  We've combined weeks 5 and 6 into a two-week long giveaway giving you the double the opportunity to increase your odds of winning by completing the daily bonus entries!

You'll have from 7/24/12 through 8/6/12 to claim as many entries as you possibly can!  If you can remember to revisit your favorite blog (I'm hoping it's The Philosopher's Wife!) to claim your daily bonus entries, you’ll have a huge advantage (2 weeks worth!) over the rest of the competition!

But before we announce the Grand Finale bag, here are a few words about our sponsor who made this entire 6 weeks worth of giveaways possible!

HipSwap is a mobile and web marketplace that connects buyers and sellers locally and nationally. It enables people to discover what’s inside the most fabulous closets, homes, and shops in neighborhoods and cities across America. HipSwap currently offers delivery service in Los Angeles and New York with its iconic pink delivery van.

Also, be sure to swing by the HipSwap blog to check out their ever popular post on how to spot a fake Louis Vuitton bag!

So far HipSwap has generously supplied us with a Fendi Spy Bag, a Louis Vuitton bag, a white leather Tod’s hanbag and a Gucci Hobo Bag! Are you ready for the brand that will be featured in our Grand Finale?!

Drum roll, please!

This week, you have the chance to win an authentic Chanel tote worth $1,300!

This beautiful beige quilted leather Chanel tote is a one-of-a-kind find. It features a black leather trim and large "CC" on side to make it easily distinguishable as the one of the world’s most prestige designer brands.

Dimensions: 11" x 10" x 5" with 7" straps. 

Estimated Value: $1,300

This beautiful handbag was provided by the amazing DoubleTake Consignment Boutique of New Jersey.

The DoubleTake Consignment Boutique first opened its doors in Short Hills, New Jersey in 1992.  From day one the store has been packed with women who understand the advantages and value of consignment shopping. DoubleTake only accepts the highest quality & current designer clothing and accessories and has been recognized as a unique clothing boutique where huge savings can be realized.

How to gain entries in this giveaway:

There is only one mandatory entry option; and that is to create a free HipSwap account (which is super easy and quick to do). However, by entering on this blog through the Giveaway Tools widget below, you have the opportunity to gain a large number of bonus entries! You can complete as many or as few bonus entries as you’d like but remember, the more you do, the better your odds of winning! Plus, once you are following all of your hosts, entering each subsequent weekly Win This Bag Giveaway will be even faster & easier! As promised, you’ll find additional bonus entries to claim for having entered our previous weekly Win This Bag Giveaways!

Good luck!

Giveaway begins on 7/24/12 at 12:01am EST & ends on 8/6/12 at 11:59pm EST.

Open worldwide.

The Giveaway Tools Widget will load below this line. For those of you not familiar with Giveaway Tools, it is VERY similar to Rafflecopter but has been said to be a faster & easier way to enter giveaways. Let me know what you think! As always, thank you for visiting The Philosopher's Wife and entering my giveaways! Good luck to you!

Javascript must be enabled to enter this giveaway. Learn how to activate Javascript by clicking here.

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This giveaway is open to entrants worldwide 18 years of age or older, except where prohibited by law. No purchase is necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law. The odds of winning are based on the number of entries received. This promotion is no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook and is Facebook-compliant. To qualify to win, you must complete, at minimum, the mandatory entry on the Giveaway Tools form. All entries will be forwarded to our sponsor for the purpose of randomly selecting a winner. Winners will be notified by email from a HipSwap representative. Winners will have 72 hours to respond or risk forfeiting their prize. Prize may re-awarded solely by the Sponsor’s discretion. Prize fulfillment is the sole responsibility of the sponsor. This blog may not be held liable for Sponsors who do not fulfill prize shipments. The participating bloggers were not compensated for this post. We reserve the right to publicly publish winners’ names and/or likeness. By entering this giveaway, you are agreeing to these terms and conditions.

Fun With Resin Flowers

Check out all of the awesome places I link up!

I think I was the last person to add resin flowers to my craft stash, but I am so glad that I finally did!  I must confess that I did not truly dedicate myself to this task by making my own molds and mixing my own resin--I took the easy way out and ordered them.  (Which meant that I had a Great Mail Day!)  

Taking the difficult steps away made this a fairly straight-forward project: gather materials, read glue instructions, ventilate, assemble, allow to cure, admire and enjoy!

After reading various blogs and product reviews I decided that E-6000 would be the best glue for these projects.  If you try this at home, be sure to read all the instructions of whatever glue you decide to use.  Pretty much whichever one you decide upon will require lots ventilation.  I moved the kitchen table right next to an open window and positioned a fan to push the air outside.  Also, at first I had some trouble with strings--but I started using a toothpick to spread the glue and that helped a lot!   

While Catherine was taking her nap I set up shop and had tons of fun putting together rings, earrings, and barrettes!  I really am happy the way everything turned out!  What do you think?

If you appreciated my first foray into resin jewelry (i.e., thought anything above was cute) you should enter to win two beautiful pairs of earrings and a gorgeous ring, courtesy of Made By LinLin!  Her stuff is awesome!

Other Giveaways I have going on right now include: $200 Amazon Gift Card or Grill, Newman's Own Organics Prize Pack, and $50 Amazon Gift Card.