You’ve got to check out the JuiceBoxJungle widget! You’ll always see it on on my sidebar – but I wanted to introduce it to you since it’s always being updated with new stories, information and shopping fun! Right now they want you to click on it and tell them if you’ve ever feathered your hair! Now is the perfect time to honor Farrah and help us tally up the true magnitude of her hair-legacy, and it only takes (literally) a second. Click to register your voice and to find out how many of your Facebook friends have ALSO feathered in the past!

We haven’t been to Disney in QUITE A WHILE. DH was insistent that we go over the weekend, and it was definitely worth it … just for this moment below.

Mark your calendar for THIS Wednesday, September 23, so you can be a part of the first-ever National Family Game Night by Hasbro! On this day, Hasbro is encouraging families across America to spend an evening at home playing games together to reconnect and reenergize relationships.

Face it, often we can get caught up in all the electronical devices and Social Networking devices in our homes. Wii, XBox, Facebook, MySpace – we forget that something as simple as a board or card game can be just as much fun and lead to lots of laughs with family and friends. And there is a great selection of games from Hasbro! Cranium, Monopoly, Pictureka, Clue and more!

1. Schedule it!: National Family Game Night is Wednesday, September 23, mark the calendar!

After participating in the gaming event, decide in advance which day will be your weekly family game night. It doesn’t matter which night of the week you choose – any night will do! As long as the date is marked on a calendar that everyone can see and parents make it a priority to keep the appointment, the night will be one to remember! Use stickers or a colored marker to help make the family game night dates stand out on the calendar.

2. Involve everyone in the planning: Involve the whole family in the planning process by allowing the kids to pick the games or choose the snacks. For variety, rotate responsibilities during each family game night.

3. Game suggestions: Be sure to pick games that are age-appropriate for all family members so that everyone can participate. For an active family, BOP-IT! or the classic game of TWISTER are great options. For a laugh-out-loud time, families might want to try GUESSTURES or TABOO. For families that thrive on competition, try CONNECT 4×4 or MONOPOLY CITY.

4. Fun food “pairings”: A special family game night menu will make everyone look forward to the festivities. Serve fun finger foods that are easy to eat during game play, such as hamburger sliders or chicken fingers. A make-your-own sundae bar is a sweet treat for dessert before or during game night. Or, use a family recipe to make your family game night unique.

5. Create a tradition: Whether it’s the way that teams are selected, a 30-minute bedtime extension, or having everyone play in their p.j.’s, establishing an activity on family game night that becomes a family tradition will create even more excitement around game play for everyone in the family.

6. Keep a family scoreboard: From week to week, recognize the family member who won the last family game night by posting their name on a special scoreboard that receives a place of honor on the refrigerator. Or, create a family crown that can be worn by the winner at dinner or during the next family game night.

7. Remind everyone: To keep the date with the family, set up reminders on a handheld device or on the family computer to make sure that game night happens. For the tech-savvy, reminders can also be sent through Evite.com or on social networking sites such as Facebook. For the kids, put a note in their lunchbox reminding them about family game night.

8. Mix it up with “special guests”: To expand the fun, invite other families in your neighborhood to participate in a family game night tournament. If you have extended family members living in the area or if you are traveling during a scheduled family game night, invite everyone to participate!

9. Capture the memories: By having regularly scheduled family game nights, families are guaranteed to create new and lasting memories. Snap a photo of special moments at each family game night and place the printed photos around the house or email to relatives to share that come-from-behind win or incredibly tall Jenga tower!


10. Brainstorm for next week’s family game night: As each family game night winds down and clean up begins, start brainstorming for next week’s event. What games might be selected? What will be the special food served? By planning in advance for the next event, you can get a jumpstart on the preparations and raise the anticipation level for the next family game night.

Check out http://www.familygamenight.com for more information and to see a great selection of games for your own Family Game Night and let the fun begin!

Three Buzz Readers have the opportunity to win THREE SETS of Hasbro Card Games: Crazy Old Fish War, Monopoly Deal and Scrabble Slam.  To enter, visit Hasbro and let me know what game you would choose for Family Game Night.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But for extra entries, you can:

• Add the Mom Buzz to your Twitter and Tweet the contest. Leave your Tweet Link!
• Blog about the contest – add a link to the Mom Buzz and the Sponsor
• Add the Mom Buzz button to your site OR add the Mom Buzz to your blog roll.
• Enter the GE appliance give-away – you can do this daily!
• Subscribe to the Mom Buzz via e-mail or RSS feed. (See right sidebar)
• Follow Hasbro’s Family Game Night on Twitter (@familygamenight) to find daily trivia, game news and information.

Contest ends 10/16/09. Please refer to complete contest rules. The entries listed above are the ONLY entries for this contest. Winners will be notified by e-mail (if supplied in the entry or on profile page), as well as on the Winner’s Wall.

Going to a baby shower and want to give a unique gift? Or maybe you are preparing for a little one’s arrival at your own home? Well, The Looking Glass might have just what you are looking for to add a posh touch to celebrate baby’s arrival! That’s because they have a chic selection of baby and toddler products that are mod, useful, affordable and all can be personalized.

Just search through their four collections (Bath, Baby, Bed, Kids) and check out their hand-picked brands that moms are sure to love. These brands include:

Angel Dear: For baby, you need to check out the zip-front bear bunting. This is so adorable, as your baby stays warm this winter … with those little ears on the hoodie of the bunting. It is available in brown, pink and blue. The animal blankies are also adorable and snuggle-worthy, available as a tan giraffe, blue lamb or pink lamb. And you can personalize this item, as well!

Bumkins: I am a big fan of Bumkins, having tried out their aprons and diapers. Well, at The Looking Glass you can choose from the #1 Bib – the Bumkins Superbib, a basic terry bib and a cotton flannel/ silky satin blanket. And don’t forget – everything can be be personalized and gift-wrapped.

Cuddlebee: I absolutely adore the mod “burpies” from Cuddlebee. No boring colors or hackneyed characters here. Instead, you can choose from 3 fashionable fabric options on a vanilla chenille backing and cotton insert, giving you a super absorbent burp cloth.

Gerber: Gerber is a staple for babies. So no wonder The Looking Glass has chosen some must-have products from this great company that can be personalized for babies and toddlers. The collection includes burp cloths, receiving blankets, snap front gowns and even wash cloths!

SwaddleBee Designs: This is probably my favorite “overall” brand that The Looking Glass carries. (As much as I love the zip-front bear bunting from Angel Dear!) But under SwaddleBee designs you will find the most gorgeous hooded towels! You can get pastel pink, lime green or pastel blue – all with mod colors. It is a cozy, soft cotton with a satin trim. SwaddleBees also has a stroller blanket – which is massive and perfect for keeping your kids cozy this winter. The SwaddleBees stroller blanket measures 30″ x 40″, is fuzzy and plush and has a smooth, silky satin trim. It is available in the same colors and style as the hooded towels – pink, lime green and blue mod circles.

There is a lot more to choose from than that small sampling. Check out the personalized beach towels for summer, twin bed sheets for a new “big kid” room, or consider a personalized gift set like Bedtime Reflections for a new baby! The possibilities are endless as you shop through The Looking Glass online!

On October 3rd and 4th a huge 2-Day event celebrating pregnancy and motherhood will be going on in NYC! It is The Baby Show NYC! I can’t go, since I’ll be at a social networking event that is close to home. But I do have a ticket to give-away to The Baby Show NYC – and you can bring your family!

Here is the buzz. You’ll be joining top-notch experts in the baby field for exciting seminars, shopping the latest products for baby and mommy – from diapers and bottles to strollers and organic care, and enjoying unique hands-on experiences in a stroller test drive track and nursery design showroom. Plus, children will love playing in the events Kids Korner and noshing in the organic cafe.

There is an amazing list of attending exhibitors, including mom-loved brand like Babies R Us. Plus there are plenty of other exhibitors that I’ve buzzed in the past, such as Skyoozmee and Miss Brittany’s Organic Preschool Fun Dough. 

Ticket prices range from $20 – $40! If you don’t win, you can purchase a ticket at the door! Tickets may be purchased on their website at www.thebabyshownyc.com. Advance ticket deadline is 5pm Oct 1st.

Saturday, October 3rd 2009 – 11am-7pm
Sunday, October 4th 2009 – 10am-6pm

Metropolitan Pavilion – 125 West 18th Street NYC

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But for extra entries, you can:

• Add the Mom Buzz to your Twitter and Tweet the contest. Leave your Tweet Link!
• Blog about the contest – add a link to the Mom Buzz and the Sponsor
• Add the Mom Buzz button to your site OR add the Mom Buzz to your blog roll.

Contest ends 9/25/09. Please refer to complete contest rules. The entries listed above are the ONLY entries for this contest. Winners will be notified by e-mail (if supplied in the entry or on profile page), as well as on the Winner’s Wall.

“Erin, you have more time to work out since you don’t work,” says my friend Benny. (The commenter’s name has been modified for his protection from angry SAHMs everywhere.)

When he told me that, I think 5 flies flew into my open mouth. Let’s look at the participants in this conversation.

Me, Erin of the Mom Buzz: A stay-at-home mom of two boys ages 1 and 3. Husband works over 40 hours a day, plus he works out 5 days a week after work.

Denny: Single male, recently engaged. Probably works over 40 hours a week too, as a manager of a busy retail location.

Who has more free time? Every SAHM I told this story to gasped, laughed or asked for his address to deliver a special message to him. That’s because I would like to know where our free time is? Personally, my husband wakes up at 5:30am to cardio. He returns home at 8:00pm most days. But even then, my work day does not end until at the earliest 9:00pm, since we start the bedtime routines at 8:30. And I can’t just leave the kids home by themself to go workout – kinda defeats the purpose of being a SAHM – plus I think it’s illegal.

So when do I work out? Most days, between the hours of 9:30 pm and 11:00pm. I don’t really want to be at the gym between the hours of midnight and 5:30am, when my husband is also home. I hope you understand that, all you Benny’s out there.

Now let’s talk when Benny, in other words – all single males, can work out. They can go before work, during lunch, after work. Their work day often (not always – but commonly) begins at 8:00am, a 1 hour lunch break is common (good enough for a 30-minute cardio session) and then they can work out anytime after work. The common end of a workday is 5pm. As a manager of a retail location, the hours will differ than common office hours – but with an 8 work day they still have plenty of options to work out. How do I know this – because I was a single person who used to work out BEFORE WORK, DURING LUNCH and AFTER WORK.

There is no before, during or after work when you are a SAHM. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE being with my babies. But at the same time, there are no sick days or days off. So, I plan my schedule accordingly to fit in working out. And to tell me it’s easier is only proof that you don’t understand everything a mother does – one thing being planning. I plan morning routines, lunch time, playdates, bed and bath routines, etc. And I can plan my work-outs.

Benny is engaged now – what lies in his future… who knows. But if parenthood is to come, I hope he never make those assumptions with his future wife! And I hope that instead of using his time working out his “mouth” to say asinine comments, that he use that same time to fit in a work-out!

During the holidays, there are certain shows, movies, performances and music that definitely help set the mood. One performance that ballet companies put on every Christmas Season is The Nutcracker. And truthfully, children as young as three can enjoy the music, costumes, dancing and “action”. Yes – there is action as the Nutcracker battles the Mouse King. Plus, your children will get to see snow fairies, toy soldiers, an array of fantastic costumes and scenery.

So it’s no wonder that Prima Princessa chose The Nutcracker, performed by the San Francisco Ballet, to feature in their newest DVD. The cartoon ballerina fairy, Prima Princessa, leads a group of children through the magical journey of the Nutcracker, explaining scenes so that children can follow along. In between the story, Prima Princessa will explain certain moves to a group of Prima Princessa Ballerinas (young children) and the School of American Ballet will show how to do these moves. You can see a preview here: Prima Princessa Clip of The Nutcracker

My children and I really enjoyed the first Prima Princessa DVD, which featured Swan Lake. My son would even dance along! But I love the story for The Nutcracker even more, so this has moved to the top of my must-have list for little girls. Plus, it would make the best stocking stuffer for Christmas for your child – along with a Nutcracker, perhaps?

Overall, the video encourages movement, pretend-play and creativity – plus it introduces performance arts! It’s definitely a video you can feel good about letting your children watch.

Prima Princessa presents The Nutcracker is only $12.99 for a 40 minute show – perfect for children ages 3 to 6. Already it has gotten 5 out of 5 stars on Amazon! So, if you want a holiday gift for a little princess, ballerina, fairy or dancer in your life – definitely consider Prima Princessa presents The Nutcracker!

One buzz reader will have an opportunity to win a copy of Prima Princessa presents The Nutcracker! To enter, watch this video clip and tell me your thoughts!

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But for extra entries, you can:

• Add the Mom Buzz to your Twitter and Tweet the contest. Leave your Tweet Link!
• Sign up for the Prima Princessa Newsletter (leave a comment for your entry)
• Blog about the contest – add a link to the Mom Buzz and the Sponsor
• Add the Mom Buzz button to your site OR add the Mom Buzz to your blog roll.
• Enter the GE appliance give-away – you can do this daily!
• Add one (or both) of these Swan Lake buttons to your site. You get an entry per button!

 

<a href=”http://www.primaprincessa.com/” target=”_blank”><img alt=”PrimaPrincessa.com” src=”http://www.primaprincessa.com/images/PrimaPrin-TooCute.jpg”/></a>



<a href=”http://www.primaprincessa.com/” target=”_blank”><img alt=”PrimaPrincessa.com” src=”http://www.primaprincessa.com/images/SL_PrimPrin125Gif.gif”/></a>

Contest ends 10/16/09. Please refer to complete contest rules. The entries listed above are the ONLY entries for this contest. Winners will be notified by e-mail (if supplied in the entry or on profile page), as well as on the Winner’s Wall.

What are the hot picks from moms like you? Well, check out these reviews from 7 haute mamas and make sure you are on top of that latest and greatest discoveries for you and the kids! Each month, we will be bringing you some bloggy picks that you do not want to miss! Check out the September edition below:

New Blog Launch: From Potty Training to Weight Training    from Cecelia, Cool Baby Kid


It’s Here   from Ellen, Thrifty & Chic Mom


Win a GE Appliance    from Erin, the Mom Buzz


Musings of a Work-at-home Mom: The Desitin Incident   from Sarah, The Ohana Mama

Hurricane Freezer Cleanout Part Deux: Red Beans and Rice Recipe  from Bridgette, The Experimental Mommy

Blake’s 1st Birthday Party  from Renee, What Mommies Need

Pictures From The Set Of Criminal Minds  from Lee, MySentimentExactLee

This is the place to leave your BUZZWORTHY post of the week! I am looking for:

• Yummy Snacks and Recipes (Maybe for the Lunch Box)
• School Crafts
• Etsy Shops run by Bloggers or loved by Bloggers
• Funny Stories, Moments, Posts, Pictures
  
• Back-to-School Tips
• Memes
• New Blogs and Blog Redesigns
  
• AND… CONTESTS!!

I know y’all have them. So help me FIND THEM. See the form below. Put the permalink of any of those items there. If it’s buzzworthy, I want to see it! It can be from your blog, a friend’s blog, something you saw in passing. I do this EVERY SATURDAY. So if you have a super post during the week, remember to stop by the following Saturday and leave me that permalink!

As kids get ready to return to school, concerns are high for the potential of cold and flu outbreaks. Recent coverage has reported the challenges that the H1N1 virus created for camps this summer and some experts believe the outbreaks are a harbinger of what could occur as schools open. Compounding the potential for congestion and sinus pain associated with colds and flu is the traditional fall allergy season, which impacts some six million children.

So in addition to backpacks, pens, calculators and laptops, parents this back to school season also have flu and allergy treatments on their list, but with pediatric OTC cold medications having been voluntarily recalled last year and continuing concerns about other traditional OTC treatments, options may seem to be limited.

“One safe, natural and effective alternative for treatment of congestion and sinus pain for parents to consider is nasal irrigation with a saline solution,” says Dr. Diane Heatley, developer of the SinuCleanse System and Associate Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin, School of Medicine in Madison, where she practices pediatric otolaryngology.

While it cannot prevent infection from a flu virus, nasal irrigation has proven to be effective in treating cold and flu symptoms as well as stopping the recurrence of colds and flu. It has also been shown to help reduce the dependency upon medication for treatment of allergies. Dr. Heatley recommends nasal irrigation to help facilitate the removal of mucous by thinning it, which also helps flush allergens from nasal passages.

According to one study published in the American Academy of Pediatrics medical journal, AAP Grand Rounds (“Isotonic Nasal Saline Is Beneficial in the Management of Rhinitis in Children”; 20:17-18, 2008), nasal saline wash hastens the resolution of rhinitis symptoms during uncomplicated acute cold or flu and prevents reappearance of rhinitis In children aged 6 to 10 years old.

While the traditional method of nasal irrigation with a neti pot or squeeze bottle may not be practical with young children, SinuCleanse®, the nation’s leading manufacturer of neti pots, has developed Kids Mist™ specifically for use with infants and young children. Kids Mist features an easy-to-aim nozzle that does not need to be inserted into the nostril and that dispenses a fine mist of a pre-measured dose of saline solution.

SinuCleanse® Kids Mist™ (SRP $14.99) includes a three week supply of saline solution and is available at Walgreens or online at www.sinucleanse.com.

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Diane G. Heatley, M.D., is Associate Professor of Otolaryngology and Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, WI. She has an active clinical practice in pediatric otolaryngology.


The SinuCleanse® system was created in 1997 by Dr. Heatley as an all-natural defense for adults and children who suffer nasal problems and is clinically proven to reduce sinus symptoms. This drug-free treatment can be used as often as needed and is safe for every sinus sufferer, including pregnant women, people on multiple medications and children. For more information, please visit www.sinucleanse.com.