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Review and Giveaway Sites / Blogs for Family, Parents and Baby

February 6, 2013
Filed In Expecting parents, For Mom, Giveaways, Parenting tips, Product reviews

Giveaway sitesEveryone loves free stuff… especially new or experienced parents trying to save some money. Thankfully giveaway sites and giveaway blogs are abundant across the internet. If you spend a little time searching, you can enter one giveaway site after another and have a good chance of winning some great stuff if you stick with it.

There are many different types of giveaway sites. Some concentrate only on giveaways, while many other review products and then giveaway the product they review. This is a win-win-win situation since the company putting up the product gets a review along with potential customers… the site or blog reviewing the product gets free stuff for themselves and their visitors… and you and I end up getting free stuff.

There are blogs and giveaway sites which cover baby items, toddler items, family stuff, electronics, and everything in-between. If you’re looking for a particular type of product, search for that term and put giveaway, contest or sweepstakes after the item you’re looking for. For example, if your looking for a diaper bag. Search Google using the term “diaper bag giveaway” or “diaper bag contest”. By narrowing down your searches you’ll usually find what you’re looking for. Or if you just want to check out all the giveaway sites do a more general search such as “giveaway site for baby” or “giveaway and reviews for parents”. You’ll be amazed at what you can find with a little looking.

Below are a few of my favorite giveaway sites for baby, toddler or family related items. Some of these giveaways sites can be found on our Fresh Giveaway page.

Do you have a favorite giveaway site or blog? Let us know and we’ll add it.

 

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Shopping for your new baby nursery? Check out our new Top 10 Section!

January 30, 2013
Filed In Nursery, Shopping, Top rated / Most popular

Dad and Baby in Nursery RoomOne of the many fun parts of having a new baby on the way is when you get to start setting up that new baby nursery. The number of baby nursery products on the market is constantly changing. You’ll be overwhelmed with the choices if you don’t find a good list of narrowed down choices.

Our new top 10 / top rated shopping section is just what you need!

We’ve broken down our list to show you the top 10 best selling and top rated (according to customer reviews) baby nursery products including baby cribs, bassinets, cradles, changing tables, crib mattresses and more.

Now you don’t have to search endless websites to find the safest and best baby nursery products out there. Save your time for other stuff and just look at the top 10 baby nursery products.

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Why do children rebel against parents helping with homework?

January 16, 2013
Filed In Parenting Questions, Parenting tips

Children and homeworkI remember the feeling when I was a child. My parents wanted to help with my homework, but I didn’t really want the help. I would get frustrated, annoyed… but why?

Now I’m getting to experience the same thing my parents did.

Yesterday I was trying to help my 8 year old daughter prepare for a test when all of a sudden I started feeling the attitude. The annoyance. I kept calm and kept trying to help, but then came the comment from my daughter “I can do this on my own.” I had flashbacks of being young and doing the same thing to my parents.

Why do children rebel and get annoyed with parents when they’re trying to help them with their homework?  Is it genetically encoded in us that we don’t want help from our parents? Provide food, clothing, shelter.. and toys, but don’t think about trying to help them study for a test.

My tips for combating this:

  1. Stay calm. Remember you too were once young and did this same thing to your parents.
  2. Keep helping. Again, stay calm. As much as they think they know it all, they don’t. Keep helping and remember it’s for their benefit.
  3. Try helping in a different way. Instead of asking them questions, turn it around and have them ask you questions. It will still make them think about what they’re studying, but doesn’t put them on the spot.
  4. Switch parents. If the dad is helping, maybe the child is frustrated with dad for some reason. Have mom come in for a little while.
  5. Punish them and send the to their room.  Just kidding. My #5 tip would be the same as #1. Stay calm and keep helping.

What are your suggestions, tips and opinions? Share them below.

Photo by peapodsquadmom

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Ways of Making Your Teenage Child Quit Smoking

January 14, 2013
Filed In Article & Resource Blend, Guest blogger, Parenting tips

Guest post by Agnes J.

Teenage smoking is a common misdemeanor among deviant children, and those without any record of delinquency. Proper parenting skills are desperately needed by parents and guardians in order to discern this habit early enough in order to put ways in place to mitigate it. Smoking and general drug abuse is common among children in their early teens, since this is the age at which teenage curiosity to experiment with drugs is at its peak. There are different ways that parents can use in order to escape witnessing their teenage children turn into full-fledged smokers.

No SmokingRole-modeling is the perfect way to lead a teenager into acceptable standards of behavior. A parent should present a good example to his or her children in their formative stages of development by becoming beacons of morality in their homes. Children emulate what they see around their environment, and so it becomes of the essence that parents set high moral standards by “walking the talk.” Parents who want their kids to quit smoking should not be smokers themselves, lest the children think that it is legitimate if they (kids) too smoked.

Dialogue should be initiated between a parent and a child in order to establish what the root cause of his or her smoking habit could be. An informal tone should be adopted by a parent or guardian, as a too formal a talk can render the whole process futile. A parent must not interrogate the child or try to reprimand him or her, since this would cloud every effort in trying to diagnose the cause of the teen’s smoking, or even lead to a child’s withdrawal from any familial talk. As a parent, you should endeavor to acquire deeper insights into why your teenage child smokes, which would help in putting a stop to the habit.

Accessing parenting resources could also be helpful for parents who are naive in matters of parenting. Such portals as thefamilycompass.com offer advice and tips on parenting. A lot of articles on juvenile behavior and teen-parenting topics can be accessed in that repository free-of-charge. No harm is done in relating to the experience of others on matters of parenting.

It is important therefore, that parents learn to become good examples, talk to their children, and find out from others the best practices as far as parenting is concerned. Tips on how to go about all this can be accessed at www.thefamilycompass.com.

photo by normanack

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Stylish and Fashionable Diaper Bags for Mom

January 9, 2013
Filed In For Mom, Product reviews

Finding stylish and fashionable diapers bags was a somewhat difficult thing to do a few years back. Not anymore. Diaper bags now come in a huge variety of colors, patterns, materials, shapes and sizes. While I’ve still been unable to find what I consider the perfect bag for dad… you’ll have no problem finding that perfect diaper bag for mom.

Coco Diaper BagI’ve followed the evolution of diaper bags since around 1998 when I first starting selling them through my previous website for parents. We don’t currently have the top 10 rated diaper bags on the Parenting Tips Blender, but it’s coming soon. Meanwhile, check out the big selection of pink diaper bags on my Rainebrooke.com website.

I was also recently contacted by BabyBeau, which is a UK company that has some beautiful diaper bags. The Coco Dusty Pink diaper bag caught my eye, but they have a great selection of diaper bags that look nothing like a diaper bag.

From BabyBeau…

Becoming a parent can be a life altering experience, but it needn’t
define you. Babybeau produce luxury fashion changing bags that combine
style with functionality, enabling parents to fuel their inner
fashionista without sacrificing the practicalities of a conventional
changing bag. Whether a parent craves sophistication, fashion chic, or
a touch of elegance, Babybeau’s designer collection caters for all.

Babybeau’s elegant range of changing bags comfortably accommodate
parenthood, whilst enabling parents to maintain their sense of style.
By removing the pop-out baby organiser, each bag instantly transforms
into a regular handbag, suitable for any occasion… conveniently
making room for a lifestyle beyond the nappies, baby-wipes, bottles
and bibs.

BabyBeau founder and mother of one, Rebecca Gono comments: “Becoming
a parent throws you into a completely new arena. Many mothers, in
particular, find themselves juggling different lifestyles: as a
mother, a business woman, a wife or partner. Through BabyBeau, I’ve
designed a collection of bags that adapt to these various lifestyles
without surrendering fashion for practicality, enabling parents to
have it all.“

BabyBeau prides itself on a collection of luxurious leather bags,
suitable for both men and women, that exude stylish flair and enable
parents to be more than just parents.

Visit www.Baby-Beau.co.uk to view the full collection.

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How To Feed Your Family Without Going Broke

June 26, 2012
Filed In Article & Resource Blend, Guest blogger

In this economy, who doesn’t want to save a dollar? The biggest expense most families have is food. Although food is a vital part of daily living, there are still some ways to save money on it and feed your family good, nutritious meals. Below are my top 5 food-saving tips for you and your family!

1. Dented/Discount Stores

Many areas have some sort of dented can or discount store that offers food well below retail prices. To find one, do an online search, as discount stores don’t do a lot of advertising (so that they can keep their prices low). The food at these stores is still good, but has ugly packaging. Sometimes, you can find prices up to 90% off of retail.

2. Sale Shopping

You can save money on groceries by only shopping the sales. The best way to do this is plan your meals around only what is on sale at your local grocery store. This takes a little bit of planning ahead, but will save you a lot of money in the end.

3. Larger Meals

I know this may seem counter intuitive, but by cooking in bulk, you can freeze the leftovers and have them for lunches or other meals. Often, it’s cheaper to buy and cook in bulk. Just remember to choose dishes, such as stews, that freeze well.

4. Love Your Crockpot

A crockpot is a great tool to not only save you time, but money. You can throw a wide variety of ingredients in it and produce delicious meals. Many books at the library have different crockpot recipes for you to try, but if you can’t get to the library, you can also do an online search for crockpot meals.

5. Up Your Chicken

Chicken is usually less expensive than meat. If you get a whole chicken, you can get a lot of bang for your buck. A whole chicken can last at least 3 meals, if you use it creatively. For your first meal, simply pull off chicken pieces and serve with a vegetable and cheap side such as rice. For your second meal, pull off any leftover pieces and put it in a casserole or dish such as Chicken Tetrazzini. Now, don’t throw away that chicken carcass. Place it in a pot of boiling water for about an hour. When finished, pour the water and contents into a strainer and pick out leftover chicken pieces and make a big pot of chicken noodle soup. If you make a big enough pot, you can get 2 meals out of the soup. This chicken has now provided your family with at least 3 healthy meals AND saved you quite a bit of money.

Feeding a family can be a money drainer for any family. However, by following the above tips you can save a lot of money and make your money much further. That money can be used to pay for other family expenses, such as clothing and family activities. The key to saving money on food is to think outside the box.

Kayla McBride writes about saving money and visiting websites such as www.homeownersinsurance.org

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Giveaway! – Win this Cute Pink Laptop Bag from Rainebrooke.com (closed)

November 14, 2011
Filed In Giveaways

To spread a little holiday cheer to the “Parenting Tips Blender” followers, I thought I’d offer a giveaway.  This giveaway if for a pink laptop bag called the “Allie” which is made by Rainebrooke.com.

Rainebrooke.com is a site that offers a huge selection of pink laptop bags and cases for women. If you’re on the hunt for the perfect gift, then consider a pink laptop bag, pink laptop case, pink messenger or any of the items offered by Rainebrooke.

The Allie pink laptop bag being offered in this giveaway will fit most laptops with screen sizes up to 15″. To be exact, the laptop compartment size will hold up to 14.25 x 11 x 2 inches. This bag has plenty of pockets, it’s padded and comes with a removable  shoulder strap. To see additional images go here.

Allie Laptop Bag / Tote

Winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered.

Congrats to Kim Kelley on winning this giveaway. Kim’s comment #10 was the number chosen at Random.org

Win It!

  • Open to US only
  • One winner will be chosen at random from the comments by using Random.org
  • Giveaway closes on Monday, Nov. 28th at 11am CST

To Enter:

  • Visit Rainebrooke and comment here telling me which is your favorite pink laptop bag.

For Extra Entries:

The fine print:

  • One bag will be given away.
  • Giveaway is open to anyone in the US.
  • We will pay for shipping (Ground) within US.
  • We reserve the right to remove comments that we can not confirm from the entry methods above.
  • The winner will be notified by the email at the address which they provided with the comment. The winner will have 48 hours to reply to the winning email notification. If we don’t receive a reply within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen.
  • I founded Rainebrooke, so I’m not receiving compensation for this offering :-)

 

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