There’s nothing to report but I’m a big Brooke Shields fan so I thought I’d share some pics of her and her lovely family at a recent event in California.

Don’t eat the cookie dough, Nestle is voluntarily recalling Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough due to suspected E coli contamination.

I appreciate companies that take these things seriously BEFORE someone gets sick.  Thanks Nestle!!

Be sure to check out Mom Central’s Father’s Day Gift Guide.  There are some GREAT suggestions for the special Dad in your life.  This is a great time of year to thank a neighbor or family friends.  It’s generally easier to find gifting opportunities for women, so take advantage of the excuse to pamper someone special even if it’s not your Dad.

There are two more shopping days before Father’s Day check out the Mom Central Gift Guide for all kinds of ideas, from camping equipment to a digital camera to imported beer steins.   All sorted out by price so you can quickly get some ideas and your shop on.

There are even a couple of more giveaway opportunities.  Don’t miss out!!

Mom Central’s Father’s Day Gift Guide

I’m a big fan of search and picture riddles and being the influential mom that I am (in my own family at least!) I’ve managed to pass that on to my kids.  So, we were very happy to accept a review copy of the latest edition of I Spy A to Z – A book of picture riddles. 

This book will keep multiple kids entertained for hours.  Readers and pre-readers alike can find the objects giving them a sense of accomplishment.  It’s a great way to engage kids with a book without reading an actual story.   Sometimes kids just can’t take a long story, they want to do the talking and pointing while you listen for a change.  I SPY is a perfect excuse for kids to show what they know since many objects in the book are familiar to them. 

I SPYbooks are great vocabulary builders,  there are so many objects to name, the alphabet, numbers and more!  I love to have I SPY books in the car for the kids, they come in handy for last minute doctor visits or other waiting room situations.   

Recommended for ages 4 and up.  Be sure to visit Scholastic’s I SPY website for fantastic games and activities. 

Easy-to-read riddles by Jean Marzollo are paired with forty-six object-filled photographs by Walter Wick to create I Spy A to Z, the most engaging alphabet book ever! With more than thirty titles and 36 million books in print, the I Spy series continues to win the hearts and minds of parents and kids everywhere. 

I know you’ll enjoy the book as much as I do, so here’s your chance to win!
 
So what about the prizes?

• One (1) Grand Prize winner receives a Grand Prize Pack including:
  Wii Video Game ‘Ultimate I SPY’
  Board Game ‘I SPY Memory Game’
  I SPY A to Z: A Book of Picture Riddles
  One additional I SPY Book (Title TBD) 
  Grand Prize Pack valued at = $85.99
• Four (4) runner-up winners receive a copy of the new book
  I SPY A to Z: A Book of Picture Riddles
  Each book valued at = $13.99

Many ways to win

(ends 7/15/2009 @ 11:59 p.m. est) open to the USA only, please make a separate comment for each activity:

• leave a comment here once per day
• blog about this contest on your sites
• tweet this message on twitter once per day: 

WIN an I SPY Picture Book gift set www.pajamamom.com @blogathomemom http://tiny.cc/6yLlV  <— please leave a comment here with the time stamp (right click, copy shortcut, paste)

• follow me on twitter for one entry http://twitter.com/blogathomemom

*The prizes are supplied and fulfilled by the sponsor, 5 winners will be contacted via Twitter and/or email shortly after drawing.  Winner must respond within 5 days or another winner may be selected.  Please note, I’ve made the contact time extra long since we are in vacation season and people may be away from their computers.

One of these days I’m going to spend some money on my garden.  I need to by a lot more shrubs and evergreens and I’d like to raise the beds so the flowers are more visible.

Most of these are perennials but I didn’t have much of a plan when I started so I just plopped stuff wherever I wanted to.  I took this last week, the peonies are just about open and I’ll be cutting down the tulips passed.

thank-you very much Filtrete, loving the bamboo plant!!  It’s not too late to join Filtrete’s Clean Air Club.

The first 50 people to sign up each week will receive a free bamboo plant – a natural air purifier. 

www.filtrete.com

What do you do when there’s a cause you care about and a need for funding?  The typical response is to get some funds by selling things and services people need… car washes, bake sales and lemonade stands top the list in my mind.  Top mom @ Electrolux, Kelly Ripa, is heading up a push for virtual lemonade stands.

Design your own virtual lemonade stand and pick out three drinks to serve, in return, Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF).  Get cool for a cause, let’s hit the max $15,000 mark!!

In addition, you can sell virtual glasses of lemonade to people you know to make more money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.  There are THREE ways to win a new Electrolux fridge for yourself!

• NO PURCHASE OR DONATION NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Open only to legal residents of the 48 contiguous U.S. and D.C., 21 or older. Void in AK, HI & where prohibited. The Kelly Confidential Virtual Lemonade Stand Promotion consists of three (3) sweepstakes: the Open a Stand Sweepstakes; the Visit a Stand Sweepstakes; and the Donate to a Stand Sweepstakes. Each sweepstakes begins 12:01 a.m. ET June 8, 2009 & ends 11:59 p.m. ET September 7, 2009. Subject to Official Rules . Sponsor: Electrolux Home Products, Inc.

Opening a lemonade stand takes a few minutes, super easy and super cute!  Thanks to MomCentral for making me aware of this great campaign! 

Visit: www.electroluxappliances.com

KINeSYS Sunscreen Spray with SPF 30 has been getting some real use in our home this spring. 

Playground birthday parties, walking trail meetups and the regular family bike rides, sports and dog walks call for extra help in the sunscreen department.

It is so hard to get used to applying sunscreen.  It’s not something I grew up with but I know it’s no longer an option, it’s a necessity.  Even though my kids have darker skin and tan well it’s just not acceptable as I believe it is damaging their skin.  Damage can take 10 years or more to show up so it’s just a good idea to prevent sun damage.  I’m beginning to think of it as an insurance policy.  

The situation is not going to get better any time soon so it’s something they’re going to have to get used to.  KINeSYS sunscreen is available in pump micro-spray or cream lotion and many different formulas.  The cream formula has a sensitive skin formula containing Titanium Dioxide.

We tested the spray which I really loved as there’s no need to rub it in, just let it dry for a few seconds.  Here are just some of the tidbits you need to know about KINeSYS…

• a sunscreen that’s oil-free, alcohol-free, PABA-free and Preservative free
• Photo-stable Broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection with Parsol® 1789
• Topical antioxidant Tocopheryl Acetate(Vitamin E) to scavenge free radicals
• Hypoallergenic / Non-comedogenic
• Fragrance-free
• carbon neutral AND cruelty free

We’ve had a great experience with this KINeSYS product, I love to use products that won’t harm my kids and help protect them from the elements.  Once you love it like I do you’ll want some for the car, the purse, the beach bag and by your bikes for convenience.  Enjoy the summer!

Visit KINeSYS to buy and more information.

Thanks to the FRN for the help with this review.

Obama’s Historic Journey is one that took our family by surprise.  I must admit I was reluctant to get too excited around the kids during the elction.  I was concerned they would be too disappointed if the outcome was against Obama.  

Like much of the country, we were watching a lot of news coverage at the time and I noticed boy2001 looking up a lot when they talked about Obama.  There’s no doubt in my mind that he identifies with Obama and can imagine himself being President some day.  Our girls couldn’t get enough of Mrs. Obama and the Obama girls!

The book, Obama’s Historic Journey, is an extraordinary collection of photos from President Obama’s early childhood to his family life.  The story concludes on his first day in office… January 21, 2009.  The book is geared towards young readers but people of all ages will enjoy it.

One of my favorite features of this book are the pictures and letters sent in to the President, kids are hilarious… one even suggests foods for President Obama to eat since he’s “too skinny”.

Boy2001 particularly appreciated the chapter “A Skinny Kid with a Funny Name”.  He can relate to being different than those around him.  After reading this Obama quote, “…whether people were friendly, indifferent, or occasionally hostile, I try my best to keep my mouth shut and hear what they had to say.”  He said, “I’m going to try and do that too.”

Thanks to the sponsor, Mother Talk and www.MomCentral.com  for organizing this blog tour. 

Buy Obama The Historic Journey for Young Readers @ Amazon

ISBN: 978-0-670-01208-4