Welcome Everyone to Boutique Cafe! We’re so excited to have you here as a stop in the Ultimate Blog Party this year. This week Boutique Cafe is excited to “party down” and join the Ultimate Blog Party hosted by 5 Minutes For Mom. We love their website, and are thrilled to be able to join in the groove with many bloggers and websites across the blogosphere.
As means of celebration Boutique Cafe wants to give one of you a FREE 6 Month Advertising spot on our popular website valued at $540!! We are all about helping small businesses get their name and products out there, and a free ad on BC will do just that for you! This will give you a small taste of what Boutique Cafe has to offer, but don’t stop there listen to our past podcasts, shop till you drop in our Market, Follow us on Twitter, Join our Facebook Group and come back often for our Daily Dish hot product reviews and BC FINDS!
To all our New visitors this week, welcome to Boutique Cafe. Don’t forget to bookmark us and come back often – to learn more about BC check out our About Us page. Thanks for stopping by for your cup of couture and so much more!
Now let’s PARTY -
**GIVEAWAY – Boutique Cafe is giving away a 6 MONTH Ad Spot in our sidebar to One lucky poster (valued at $540) that’s 6 full months of free exposure for your blog or website. To be eligible simply post a comment about our website or this show – we’d love to hear from everyone that visits. We’ll draw the winner on April 9th at midnight.
To Enter:
Leave a comment below with a valid email address for our drawing.
For additional entries:
Follow us on Twitter and tweet about our Giveaway using Hashtags #UBP11 #BoutiqueCafe
Join our Facebook Group and come back here to let us know that you did
Share our Giveaway in your Facebook status – comment here with link to your post
The Original Strapless Heart Rate Watch has a calorie management system that is so easy to use and helpful to stick to your weight loss plan. As part of the new Smart Touch Series, the MIO Triumph features settings to program in daily calorie targets and record your daily calorie intake. Not only does it track what you put in your body, but, it equates how many calories you burn during exercise and will set off an alarm if you go over your caloric target for the day.
When I want to lose weight I try to enlist everyone around me to support the cause…”Do not let me eat this and this!” I demand. Well now the accountability is in the watch. The watch has my back-side. It will swiftly get my butt in gear and trim my derriere by its innovative alarm system that sets off an alarm if I exceed my targeted caloric intake.
Brilliant! Finally, I can ditch the food journal and exercise log. I can forget about strapping on a heart rate monitor and tracking my progress each day. Rather, I just put on my stylish MIO Triumph watch and it keeps track of what goes into my body and calculates if I am adequately burning enough calories each day.
So many heart rate watches are bulky and big, but, not this one. It is petite and lightweight. I love that it is the same size as a standard watch but has the capacity to do what a computer does. The watch has another interchangeable pink band that comes inside the box and is easy to switch out when you want to change the color of the band.
I recommend this wellness watch for its form and function. With smart touch you simply touch the side of the stainless steel sensor with your two fingers for an on-demand heart rate. The MIO Triumph has an innovative calorie management system and can tell the time…what else do you need/want on your wrist?!
Visit http://www.mioglobal.com/mio-triumph to order your own heart rate monitor watch. – Amber
Daily Dish readers special! Discount: 10% off and free shipping to US and Canada
Code: DISH (has to be all caps)
Order your Weight-loss watch here
Groove Kid Nation’s The Wheels on the Bus takes your old-school children’s songs like “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “Three Blind Mice” and “The Wheels on the Bus” and gives them a fresh, funky feel that entertains kids while teaching them about a variety of musical instruments.
For example, check out the group’s debut video of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider Plays Piano with Fly Band”:
This is the first release in a planned series and it’s packed with instruments: piano, saxophone, trumpet, voice, flute, trombone, guitar, bass and drums. The tunes, while familiar, have a lot more funk, which helps keep kids engaged…and singing the songs long after they’re done playing.
George and Livi enjoyed the variety of songs on Groove Kid Nation: The Wheels on the Bus, and I enjoyed a new take on some of the most popular children’s songs. Of course, not all the songs are old favorites. You’ll find some new favorites among the mix as well! You can check out a sampling of songs on Groove Kid Nation’s website (right-hand side of the homepage).
Super cool? Yes, because 10 percent of the wholesale price of The Wheels on the Bus is donated to CARE, a leading humanitarian organization.
Oh, and there are some pretty amazing musicians who performed on this CD. You can read the entire list here.—Emily
** Giveaway! We’re giving away one (1) copy of Groove Kid Nation: The Wheels on the Bus! **
Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway:
• Visit GrooveKidNation.com and leave a comment telling us your favorite song from the sampler.
• Follow Boutique Cafe on Twitter (or tell us you already do).
• ”Like” Boutique Cafe on Facebook (or tell us you already do).
• Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet.
Include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: April 4, 2011 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.
I’m beyond jazzed to be attending International Quilt Market in a few short weeks. One of the stops on my “must see” list will be the Pillow & Maxfield booth. I am so crazy about their gorgeous fabric collections, they are full of life and color. If you’re currently looking for some quick and easy sewing projects the gals at Pillow & Maxfield have some FREE pattern/tutorial downloads on their website.
Awhile ago I promised to totally embarrass myself and dance for my Facebook group if we reached 1600 fans. Well, we made it …and then some, in fact we continue to grow everyday!
So here, as promised is your own little piece of blackmail Makes me wonder what I should do for my Boutique Cafe TWITTER followers when we hit 8000!! Thanks everyone for supporting Boutique Cafe on FB and beyond!! XO Daria
No, they’re not really called “polka spots” but we prefer that to the common “polka dots.” But no matter how you say it, they are super cute on See Kai Run’s new line of organic children’s socks. Brought to you by the same company who brought my kids some of my most favorite shoes of all time (so. not. kidding.), I knew they had to be reviewed on Boutique Cafe’s Daily Dish.
First, the basics about See Kai Run’s new organic sock line (other than they come two pairs to a package):
Certified organic cotton blend
Smooth, seamless toes (I absolutely LOVE this feature because my little ones are picky about that dang seam on the toe. It takes us five minutes just to put socks on in the morning!)
Non-binding cuffs (Wish I could say the same about some of my socks!)
Pairs perfectly with See Kai Run & Smaller footwear (How awesome is that?)
Who better to review these fab socks than Olivia, a big fan of pink and polka spots? She received the Dots with Moxie set so she could review them all for you. And review them she did!
I have washed these socks in hot water (not on purpose) and though they shrunk a titch, they still fit wonderfully and are one of Olivia’s favorite pairs of socks…right up there with Fancy Nancy. See Kai Run’s organic socks have a much nicer, much sleeker fit and I can already tell they’ll hold up well to the wear and tear my kids put their clothing through (even if Mom doesn’t follow the washing instructions). What can I say? Yay for polka spots!—Emily
Stick around and I’ll convert you to using the coolest “green living” shopping and grocery bags I’ve ever seen! Here’s the truth, I have a big family (7 of us) and my weekdays are spent with many hours in the grocery store buying food for our crew. Each time I get to the checkout line I almost shutter, did I bring along my cloth shopping bags? Will I have to use their plastic ones to get all this stuff home? I’m not sure about your stores, but here where I live the grocery stores are stocking plastic bags that are way too thin, they rip with barely anything in them. It’s frustrating. Then there are the stores that charge you for individual bags, I honestly detest this practice. It makes me not want to shop in their stores. I like the idea of the traditional “green” bags, but their configurations don’t work for my shopping life and so I rarely remember to bring them along. Then 4R Planet sent me a full set of their product line and suddenly I’m converted to a new and savvi shopping experience.
The great looking and functional solution to my grocery shopping needs is from a Canadian company called 4R Planet. Now really, how excited can a girl get about grocery bags? Well I’m a real believer now, as I’ve been using the 4R Planet bags for several months. They are not only a great environmental choice, but they are actually cute and stylish. I have a hard time forgetting THESE at home!
In the product line up 4R Planet has several SAVVI bags including:
The Beverage Bag $7.99
The SAVVI Produce Pac $9.99 SAVVI Sac $16.99 (replaces 2 plastic shopping bags! and comes in cute colors) SAVVI Sacs & Pacs $19.99 SAVVI Set $49.99
and the Utterly Amazing SAVVI Tote-All for $24.99 (The handles actually Clip onto your cart so you can load it as you shop. This is a MUST SEE!! Look at the pic on the right >>)
You need not use these Savvi bags only for groceries, they have tremendous functionality. For instance the Beverage could hold six bottles, six magazines, 3 pair of shoes, hair care products, sippy cups, action-?gures, craft items and more.
Each bag is:
Washable
Has Reinforced Seams
Reusable
Convenient
and don’t forget lovely to look at
I’m so thrilled with this company and products. The service is impeccable, their products are well made and are constantly working as you use them to improve our environment. I highly recommend checking them out – try them and let me know what you think! – Daria
In the fall, I wrote a review about the Kokopax carrier, which I loved and still love. Kokopax recently debuted a new diaper tote called Samantha. I was so excited to receive one for review and couldn’t wait for it to arrive.
Here’s a descrpition of the tote:
This fun and funky diaper tote is one that mom will want to use on her own, not just for baby. Made from 100 percent cotton canvas, the samantha diaper tote features a custom designed, water-resistant lining, durable webbing, high quality leather accents and magnetic closure. A zippered pocket with custom zipper pull, three extra–deep pockets, a beverage compartment and metal studs on the bottom to keep the bag clean, make the tote exceptionally functional for a variety of uses. Other available fabric designs include: bubbles, bubbles take-two, sprout, pax and licorice. Dimensions: 18” X 5” X 14”.
The Samantha diaper tote is a generous size, but not too big. I agree that it’s a bag Mom will esnt to use on her own, I’ve used it a lot when I don’t have my two girls with me. I love the relaxed look of the tote and so do a lot of other people – I get at least one compliment whenever I leave the house with it! Having a newborn, I still prefer a more sturdy bag with a more pronounced and flat bottomn especially since I’m carrying around bottles of formula (and seemingly everything else besides the kitchen sink), but the Samantha Tote is excellent for trips to the grocery store, etc. I keep mine stashed with diapers and wipes so I can grab it and go whenever I’d like.
Overall, I adore my Samantha Tote. It’s great for Moms who’s youngest has reached toddler age and doesn’t need as much supplies (I miss those days!), or for breastfeeding moms who may require fewer supplies. And you’ll love all the compliments your sure to receive! Head on over to Kokopax to get yours. – Katie
***Promotion! Kokopax is offering BC readers 10% off with code boutiquecafe.com2011 Enjoy!***
Networking has changed tremendously in recent years. That is, of course, a great thing for all mompreneurs and work at home moms. Thanks to that little thing called the Internet, it has never been so easy to network and, in the process, promote yourself and your ideas. The digital revolution and the Internet Era have both certainly changed the networking landscape considerably, and they have done so in a remarkably short space of time. In this article, we will take a brief look at different ways you can network.
Don’t Forget the Basics
With all the attention that social networking gets these days, it would be easy to forget all about the good old-fashioned “face-to-face” form of networking. But no doubt this way of networking is still alive and well. Given face-to-face networking can be a little bit more complicated for mompreneurs, but it is not impossible. Networking is about taking full advantage of opportunities when they arise. Now this doesn’t mean that you need to become hyper-aggressive when you have a networking opportunity physically in front of you, but it does mean that you need to be prepared.
In general, entrepreneurs should always be ready to recruit a little new business. Work at home moms and mompreneurs may just need to be a little more mentally aware and present when those face-to-face networking opportunities do occur. Part of making those opportunities occur, of course, means placing yourself in such situations in the first place, so get out there!
Go Digital, But Be Selective
There are lots of ways that you can network online, but part of the trick of successful online networking is not spreading yourself too thin. With this factor in mind, it is important that you don’t try and maintain a “full” presence on every single networking site that is available. Remember your time is precious and, as a result, you will need to selectively pick and choose the online networking options that you think best fit you, your business, your style and your endeavors. You may find, for example, that for your given business, LinkedIn is far better than Facebook or vice-versa. Again, it all depends on your business and your personality.
The main point is to make sure that you are out there networking, whether its person, online or both. Networking is all about effective communication and creating the opportunities to get you and your product in front of others. Keep these facts in mind, and you will certainly see your networking success increase.
Are you ready to BLAST OFF with me this morning?! Strap yourselves in for a whole new kind of adventure. First there were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…Power Rangers…Shrek…Star Wars’ and now DINONAUTS!
Dinonauts is a book (and e-book) that I received to read with my children, and let me tell you they are hooked!! I have little boys ages 8 and 9 who love a great adventure story, and the opportunity to use their imaginations. We’ve been reading Dinonauts written by Mike Pacitto and illustrated by Langdon Foss when I’m tucking Joshua and Brigs into bed each night. It’s been a huge hit with my kids, in fact they were acting out their favorite characters yesterday after school. Dinonauts is a monstrously big tale, you could call it Karma-galactic, that infuses space battles, cosmic monsters, strange creatures and a gigantic good vs. evil theme with super-heroes and super-villains. But all of the adventure and excitement that will grab your children’s attention is balanced by a story of teamwork, friendship, the value of one’s own originality, a never-say-die attitude … and good karma. All this wrapped up into a book that’s a quick read, and it’s wonderful to look at. Wonderful because of the beautiful artistry of Langdon Foss, a comic book artist who now works for DC comics. Within the book the illustrations are black and white drawings with gorgeous detail, you can even allow your children to color the pages if you wish. I asked Joshua about the drawings and if he liked them in black and white, and he said “It’s nice because I can use my own colors in my head”. What a great kid I have!
The formula is simple:
1) Dinosaurs + 2) Outer Space = 3) the ultimate recipe for techie, sci-fi kids. The kids who start the next Facebooks, Googles and Twitters … they will remember the day they read Dinonauts.
My family isn’t the only one jumping onto the ship, Dinonauts has a Facebook group of over 4,000 members plus if you’re a techie type of parent it also came out on iBooks and Kindle a few weeks ago, or if you like a hard copy book you can snag one for a great price on Amazon.
We have a feeling that Dinonauts is really going to be the next big thing, with a potential movie in the near future and the coolest characters like Rufus the albino ape they have a strong foothold in what kids these days are craving for in sci-fi literature. 3-2-1…Blast off – Daria
** Giveaway! Dinonauts is giving away one AUTOGRAPHED copy of their book to a lucky Boutique Cafe reader!!**
Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway:
• Visit Dinonauts.com and leave a comment telling us what you think your kids would like most.
• “Like” Dinonauts on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you joined.
• Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet.
• Update your Facebook status including a link to this giveaway.
Include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: March 29, 2011 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.
Belabumbum believes that women grow more beautiful when pregnant. And whether you feel that way or not, they make loungewear and lingerie that will make you feel beautiful when pregnant and nursing. All the pieces are very pretty and range from vibrant prints to delicate lace tops and bottoms.
I was sent their flutterby chemise with a matching outfit for my new baby, Greta. Unfortunately, I’m not able to nurse Greta, but I can tell you that the chemise is really cute and soft! It’s great for nursing. Greta’s outfit is so sweet and I’m looking forward to her growing into it. I love Mom and Baby matching outfits. What a great way to encourage bonding in the middle of the night and to feel somewhat together at a time when life can be at it’s craziest.
Belabumbum is a socially conscious company and support women. Here’s a little more about the company:
Belabumbum’s founders started the company to support themselves, the people who work with them, and their customers. The vision? To create collections of fun, feminine styles that accompany women through the creative phases of their life. To accomplish this, they’ve brought together a “mafia” of smart, motivated women who build on each others’s strengths and values. As the company has grown, the need to nurture both babies and business has shaped the design of Belabumbum apparel as well as its operations. Belabumbum works with socially conscious manufacturers in South America to ensure excellent working conditions and job security. Belabumbum has also contributed to countless health and well-being related events and organizations.
Isn’t that great? Plus, Belabumbum has a green line with eco-friendly fabrics (ie bamboo and organic fruit-dyed cottons)! Check out Belabumbum’s online boutique and spice up your lingerie drawer. – Katie
***Promotion! Get 10% off with coupon code MOMBLOG. Enjoy!
I don’t think I can stand to wait until next Monday! A little bird happened to tell me that Season 3 of the DIYDish is kicking off on Monday with special guest and fabric designer Joel Dewberry. I’ve met Joel Dewberry before and he’s a wonderful guy with a great personality Plus he’s so talented! Together Kim, Kris and Joel will work on this adorable bird pincushion, and my guess is that many of you will be working on it too over the coming weeks! See you on The DIYDish this coming Monday March 23rd. – Daria
Ask any mother about the importance of time management, and you are likely to end up with bleeding ears. Let’s face it; most of us moms don’t have enough time on our hands. This is the case even if we are not trying to run our own businesses.
Mompreneurs and work at home moms know better than most people that time management is about as important as it gets. You could even go so far as to state that time management could mean the difference between success and failure. While all business people need to keep time management at the foreground of their thinking, it’s doubly important for busy mompreneurs.
One of the single best ways to start managing your time more effectively is to step back and carefully assess how you are using your time. If your first response to this suggestion is, “I can’t do that, I hardly have time to finishing reading this article,” then you most definitely need to step back and evaluate how you are spending your time.
You may have invested in a shiny, fancy and complicated smartphone recently. If so, put that phone to work! Use it to start logging what you are doing each hour. Don’t worry about finding patterns that need to be changed at first. Instead just focus on consistently logging what you are doing each hour. If you are taking a trip to the printers, that is fine. Just log that activity. Regardless of what you may do at a given time, track your behavior, productivity and activity.
The next step is to take a week’s worth of this valuable information, sit down with it, and begin to look at it closely. Hopefully, you will find some ways that you can easily improve your time management. You might instantly see ways that you can combine certain activities or eliminate activities altogether so that you can get more out of your time.
To get a second opinion, you might want to take this chart of what you do with your time to a person you trust and ask if he or she sees any room for improvement. Asking your spouse or best friend might not be the perfect solution, as they are potentially too close to the situation. Instead try a business professional, such as your lawyer, accountant or a business associate.
Time management is a complicated task because life is often complicated, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t find ways of getting more out of your time. Just make sure that you set aside some time for yourself as well, or you will be facing burnout and a decrease in overall productivity!
Are you gearing up to make a big splash at your next business networking event? Kim Flynn gives some great advice on how to dress for networking success!
As I sit here eating a s’mores snack mix, I’m thinking I really should walk back into the kitchen and grab an almond butter chocolate chip cookie made earlier using a recipe from The Best of Clean Eating: Improving Your Life One Meal at a Time. The book, which is Clean Eating Magazine’s first full-length cookbook, features over 200 of Clean Eating’s best recipes and some of the most mouthwatering food photos I’ve seen.
The Best of Clean Eating breaks down their recipes into some pretty awesome categories:
Quick & Easy Meals
Budget-Priced Meals
Five-Ingredient Meals
Seasonal Foods
Healthy Snacks
Recipes for One or Two People
Holiday Meals
Delicious Low-Fat Desserts
Summer BBQ
You’ll also find chapters on meal plans, cooking terms and tools and a conversion table. Among the pages are excerpts with tips on slashing your grocery bill, choosing the most flavorful ingredients, herb pairings and even a guide to various flours. I couldn’t believe how many goodies I found inside The Best of Clean Eating—and I’m not just talking about the recipes. I kid you not when I say the photos are amazing; this cookbook could double as a coffee table book for sure!
I really wanted to give multiple recipes a try but of course spent more time perusing the pages than planning a meal, so instead I chose one signature recipe: Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. I had most of the six ingredients on hand and hit Walmart for the almond butter and Good Earth Natural Foods for the sucanat. This recipe only requires six ingredients:
Not pictured: salt (but I did add it, promise)
...
I mixed that long list of ingredients…
...
Then used my favorite cookie dough scoop to place them on the parchment paper (good thing I had that on hand!)
...
After about 12 minutes, they were ready! I let them cool only a moment before tasting one. I was surprised at how good they tasted for not having any “decadent” ingredients. And of course, because they’re good for you, I can eat as many as I want without feeling bad about it. (Nathan has already put that theory to good use!)
...
I noticed they do look a bit different than the photo. Those cookies almost look like they have an oatmeal of sorts in them, but then again, they’re professionally made and photographed. What do I know?
Other recipes I’m anxious to try? Spinach, Chicken & Mushroom Dinner Crepes; Smothered Cheeseburgers; Cobb SaladSteak & Farfalle Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce; and Molten Lava Cakes.
Listed at $23 ($14 on Amazon.com), The Best of Clean Eating is a must-have cookbook for your ever-growing collection. And if you’re cookbook shelf is overflowing like mine, you can easily put this on display so guests can ooh and aah over its contents. The Best of Clean Eating will have you sold on the idea healthy eating can be seriously delicious!—Emily
Hello again sunshine!
Spring is my favorite. I love getting back out into nature as the ground awakens. Warm sun bursting through cool woodland trees, soft breezes and patterns of light on the forest floor. These relaxed inspirations led to my open and translucent design ideas for River Camp – my second collection of knit projects for Rowan. Cover ups with natural glamour, delicate like a fern & layered with modern pattern – paired with cozy blankets and accessories for romantic comfort-all made up in my Belle Organic yarns (50% wool / 50% cotton). Come visit my website to see images of the 16 projects and a short inspirational video!
Happy Spring! YES!! – xo Amy
We’re thrilled to announce that the BINTH baby book giveaway (value $95) is extended to March 11th!! To enter please Click This Link to find our review and add your comment. These gorgeous books are the ideal baby shower gift, or indulge in a book for yourself to hold all the precious memories of your newborns moments. I know that baby Greta (Katie’s newborn daughter) is loving hers!
If you’re an avid blog reader, then I’m sure you’ve seen oilo’s mod gliders before. Oilo is a newer company – it was founded in 2009 by Annalisa Thomas. She founded oilo
“...to fill a void in the category for high quality designer look and quality nursery and home décor without designer prices. With a degree in arts and background in graphic design, Thomas’ passion for creativity brings a fresh new approach to a clean, simple, and fashionable look for nursery and home décor. Her designs are inspired by her two children.”
I agree that oilo’s designs are clean, simple and fashionable. For example the sticks crib set. I’m in love with it! Oilo currently has seven modern crib sets available for purchase. All are fairly gender neutral and all are cute, although I wish they had some more gender-specific sets (ie: a pink set).
I was sent a duvet cover and sham to review. I’m impressed by the vibrancy of the color and the softness of the cotton sateen. Although I can’t attest to durability, the duvet and cover feel like they have the kind of quality that’ll last a long, long while. My only complaint about the bedding line is tthe lack of options. Right now you can choose from modern berries in spring green or cobblestone in taupe. I sure hope oilo cooks us up some more patterns and colors because I really like everything they’ve produced!
Oilo also has some great lighting options and lots of variety there. I’m excited to see where oilo goes in the future as I feel their foundation is solid. – Katie
***Giveaway! Oilo is giving away one pillow to one lucky reader (oilo’s choice)!****
To enter “like” oilo on facebook and then leave a comment on this post saying you did. It’s that easy!
Giveaway closes on March 13th at midnight. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 24 hours to respond or else a new winner will be chosen.
Congratulations to Jaclyn!
****Promotion! Oilo is also offering BC readers a $20 off when you spend $50 or more with code BoutiqueCafe2011***
We certainly think Sandi Henderson is a head turner, and you can be too! Sandi had listed these adorable headband fabric kits on her website, with all the fabrics and elastic used to make her adorable reversible Head Turner headband.
*You will need to purchase the magazine for the instructions, this is only for the materials (We don’t want you to be surprised!)
This project was kitted in very limited quantities, grab one now! Think how chic you’ll look at International Quilt Market in SLC this May wearing one of Sandi’s head turners. Time to go shopping!
If you need website or graphics work Maggie Phillips with Boutique Graphics is your gal – we love her! Maggie has a “one day deal” to celebrate the Grand Reopening of her site. Be an early bird and get a deal!
Ready to place your order? Get ahead of the rush, ‘cuz the store is open NOW! Work on new orders WON’T BEGIN UNTIL MONDAY…
...but you can get an early bird discount by using code ITSABOUTTIME for 10% off your total!Code is good TODAY ONLY! (March 3rd, 2011)
Though I don’t do the homeschool thing, I do love a good workbook. I’ve purchased everything from easy connect-the-dots to Sudoku puzzles to grade-friendly math and reading workbooks, so I was totally excited to review School Zone’s Big Math 1-2 Workbook (for ages 6-8). First, a bit about this book:
Features:
299 pages of learning activities
Answer Key at back of book
Perforated pages great for use as tear-out worksheets
Parent Guide inside front cover
Skills: addition; subtraction; hundreds; tens; ones; number/object matching; fractions; regrouping; two-digit subtraction and addition; three-digit subtraction and addition; telling time; charts; tables; bar graphs; pictographs; beginning multiplication
That’s a lot of good stuff! No wonder the Big Math 1-2 Workbook is so thick! Even though George is only 5, he was totally loving working on the pages.
And even better, Livi (age 3) had a fun time doing a couple of the easier worksheets in the book. The pages were bright, colorful, entertaining and easy for both parent and child to understand. Both kids wanted to do multiple pages in one sitting, but I had to reign them in—I want this rather thick treasure to last us a while!
Here’s a little video of the kids in action enjoying the Big Math 1-2 Workbook by School Zone:
Though $19.99 may seem like a bit of an investment for a math workbook, this series comes with software for a great workbook-software combination. The software “takes children on a magical journey to another galaxy where each world provides a chance to earn pieces to a creature-making machine.” It offers math challenges, demos and coaching. It really is an awesome package! I love anything that makes learning fun, and School Zone’s Big Math 1-2 Workbook definitely does just that!—Emily
** Giveaway! School Zone is giving away one BIG Math 1-2 workbook! **
Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway:
• Visit SchoolZone.com and leave a comment telling us what workbook you think your kids would like most.
• “Like” School Zone on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you joined.
• Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet.
• Update your Facebook status including a link to this giveaway.
Include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: March 10, 2011 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.
I know you’ve been there, the next great networking conference is announcing all of their fantastic speakers, events and mixer opportunities in your niche market. You read the tweets, you see the blog posts, you can’t escape the Facebook Status updates from all the cool kids saying “I’m going!” and you literally wilt in your chair. You KNOW that if only you could attend it would catapult your business into stardom, you’d be rollin’ with the homies baby!
We’ve all been there when the reality sets in that this time (maybe every time) you have to pass on the chance to connect in a real live “face to face” situation with heavy hitters in your industry. It’s crushing, it’s depressing, you wonder if you can ever develop a connection and lasting business relationship using alternative means of networking. Can you get results, win friends and influence people without the actual face to face connect a conference setting provides?
This is the topic we’re tweeting about and discussing in the Boutique Cafe Facebook group this week. Have you had a similar experience please come share it. If you have found other means and methods of alternative networking it’s time to spill the beans and share your secret to networking success. That way the next conference that rolls around that we can’t attend won’t send us into a tailspin of chocolate eating and deep sobs. – Daria
Hi! I'm Daria, Owner Host and Producer for Boutique Cafe! I am passionate about helping mompreneurs succeed in following their dreams. I love to connect people, create, and network. I'm a social media addict and love anything fashionable, girly, DIY, vintage, handmade and fabulous. If you're a mompreneur and are looking for a cheerleader, you've come to the right place! I am one of several sweet contributors on Boutique Cafe - Meet Emily, Katie and the whole team here.
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Code is good 
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