My family and I are ready to embrace fall and all the fun activities we enjoy doing this time of year, so when our girls asked what we were doing this weekend- they were surprised when my husband and I both said in unison- Chores! Our girls know they should be helping more, and they really do try. 

Lately though, I’ve been feeling like a broken record “reminding” them to do their chores in a timely fashion. And I blame myself for this frustrating turn of events. I knew it was time to update my kids’ chore charts and get us back on track. My weekly chore prompt takes a few minutes to print out and a few minutes more deciding what chores to assign.

Season’s greetings dear readers! I’ve been bitten by the holiday bug for sure and I want to help you make your season a little brighter and your shopping lists a little lighter by sharing the newest products from Burt’s Bees with you today. I was sent the products below free of charge so I can share my thoughts with you, but all opinions are my own. 

We received the Burt’s Bees Mani- Pedi set and the Hive Favorites much to the delight of my teen and tween daughters. Thankfully, both sets came with a lip balm or I would have been in trouble. While we loved the cool no-wrap feature of these holiday collections, we simply couldn’t wait until Christmas to try them.

We opened the cute Hive Favorites first, which has a replenishing lip balm with Pomegranate oil and a small tube of nourishing milk and honey body lotion. This lip balm smells and tastes as divine as it sounds, and offers just a wee bit of color, so it’s perfect for any tween or teen on your gift list. 

Next we all tried a squirt of the lightly scented milk and honey body lotion. While rubbing it in we all agreed it made our arms and hands feel ultra soft and refreshed. The Hive Favorite collection is a perfect stocking stuffer, birthday gift or secret Santa surprise. 

Then we opened the Mani Pedi collection. This set has everything you need to take care of your hands and feet. We couldn’t get enough of the rich scent and cool feel of the Peppermint foot lotion. 

Next we tried the Shea Butter hand repair cream and while we liked how it went straight to work fixing our dry hands, we didn’t care for the overly herbal scent, so do be aware of it if you purchase this for somebody with scent sensitivities. We do want to say that this repair cream does work splendidly! 

Lastly, we all washed our hands and gave the Lemon Butter cuticle cream a try. This is heaven in a tin folks! We LOVE the scent and how quickly it blends into our cuticles. Plus, it works really well on rough cuticles making it a winner in our eyes. Combine all of these items and put them in the stylish cosmetic bag included and you’ll have a gift sure to please.

We really like the Burt’s Bees holiday “no wrap needed” gift collections finding them a convenient, affordable and perfectly gift-able choice.

 If you have moms, teens, tweens, Aunts, Uncles and personal care gift lovers on your holiday shopping list, you should check out all the Burt’s Bees holiday collections here to find just the right one for your needs.

Please share in comments: Which product from the Burt’s Bees holiday gift collections I mentioned you would most like to try?

With back to school looming large for us, we are making the most of every minute of our precious summer vacation. So, we chose a craft that is not only quick and easy, but is also useful when those school bells finally ring. This craft was done in less than thirty minutes, and is a perfect addition to my daughters’ room décor. I’ll be able to leave them reminders all year on their personalized chalkboard.

We found everything we needed for our craft project on sale at our local Joann’s craft store, but you can easily find the needed supplies at any craft store. Feel free to shop the sale items, and pick whatever embellishments that suit your décor and mood. My daughters both wanted something classic and feminine, so naturally we went with pearls, satin and flowers in a subtle creamy white theme.

Supplies:

While both my daughters had agreed on an overall theme when they picked out their supplies, each of them had a different vision for the project, making it uniquely theirs, and making directions subjective.  I’m sure you’ll find a host of products you could use on this project, from paint pens to scrap-booking letters, so let your imagination take the lead.

 I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for BGCA.  I received a promotional item to thank me for participating. However, all opinions are 100% my own.

As a Mom of a teen and a tween, I found this cyber safe initiative compelling because keeping them safe in this rapid fire, digital sharing age is a bit daunting. Teens tend to communicate via electronic devices exclusively. Phone calls are almost extinct. With all their texts, tweets, selfie sharing and snap-chatting, our kids build solid friendships- but there is also lot of room for clichés excluding peers, misinterpretation, hurt feelings and bullying.  

Even though I consider myself a socially savvy Mom who has open relationships with her daughters, I found a wealth of helpful information at BGCA’s website for parents and teens.

About BGCA’s #CyberSafe Futures:

“Talking to your kids about online safety is the first step.” BGCA understands that growing up in the digital age is tough on teens and parents. That’s why BGCA, in partnership with Sprint put together a #CyberTribe of expert teens to help answer questions facing kids online. 

The first thing I did when I visited the BGCA cybersafe site was take the “Are you a Cyber Smart Parent?” quiz .

The good news?  I am a socially savvy Mom.

Go here to take the quiz yourself. 

After taking the quiz, I checked out the Resource Page. Resource Topics include: Cyberbullying, Social Networks, Mobile Technologies and Online Privacy. 

Here's the link to the Teen Resources page.  Once there, your teen can explore life skills, arts, health, programs and more. 

Next I asked a #CyberTribe Question because if you want insights on teens- who better to ask than a teen. This is a weekly Q & A session,  so head on over and submit your questions.  Plus,  when you ask a question, you are entered to win an IPad mini!

Navigating this site is super easy for parents and teens, so I invite you to check it out and forward the link to your teen because as BGCA says: “Every teen deserves a #cybersafe future.”

Please share in comments: Have you or your child experienced cyber bullying or felt unsafe online?

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Disclosure: I received free products to help facilitate my #Disneyside@Home Celebration party. All opinions are 100% my own.

When I first got the email from Mom Central calling for hosts of a Disney Celebration in our home, I was excited because Disney characters hold a special place in my heart and most especially my daughters.  We LOVE Disney Princesses, every one of them. 

From Jasmine, Belle, Aurora, Ariel to Cinderella and Merida they each possess wonderful strength and spirit, hope, courage and a healthy dose of humor. All the wonderful traits we try to instill in my daughters.  

So quite naturally, our party theme was Princesses. Since our “princesses” fall into the tween and teen age groups, I got creative and decided the best way to let then show their fun side would be to let them be grown up versions of their favorite princess.

We played with Makeup and hairstyles.  We did a different kind of face painting by having the girls color in face print outs that makeup artists use. This was a huge hit!

We listened to “Let it Go” from Frozen so many times, even I know most all the words now.

We had fun with all the cool goody bag treats Disney sent us that came in a very unique package- a cool American Tourist Luggage piece that will surely come in handy on our next family trip.

The clear favorite goodie was this classic love poster.

We had special princess Hot Chocolate, complete with Cinnamon sprinkles.

And lots of tasty sweets.

Throughout the afternoon, lots of laughter and smiles and sharing happened, which was quite magical indeed.

I invite you to host your own Disneyside @ Home Celebration! The fun isn't just for princesses.  Just go to Disneyside Celebrations  to learn more, see great party themes, recipes and more.

Share with me in comments: What is your favorite Disney character or movie? My girls pick is Frozen right now!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

It all happened innocently enough. The kids were out of school for Martin Luther King Junior Day, so I offered to take my 13 year old and just turned 10 year old daughter and a friend each to Dunkin Donuts. They were very happy and started running down the list of their friends, bemoaning how hard it was going to be to pick just one. But they muddled through. 

Ms. T texted and received a speedy quick affirmative reply. Ms. M’s invitation was done the old fashioned way. A text invitation was sent from my phone, because GASP! I have not caved and bought Ms. M her own phone yet. But that is for another post.

So, did the invite make me cool? In a word, no. 

Nice Mom maybe, but not cool. As any Mom of a teen or tween daughter will attest, coolness is hard won. We Moms are watched and judged quickly by this billion dollar industry group. I have two under my roof, so I know what uncool looks and sounds like. The girls teach me constantly.

As fate would have it, Ms’ M’s friend had to cancel at the last minute due to a stomach bug. Even though Ms. M was sad to not have a decaf latte and donut with her friend, she rose above and happily announced that I could be her friend.  Okay, that is a mini-cool isn’t it? 

We went and picked up Ms. T’s friend and set off for Dunkin Donuts, chatting all the way there.  We were all in high spirits as we set down with our donuts, iced coffees and lattes and the conversation from the car naturally flowed to our table chatter, which was, of course about clothes! That’s when I innocently asked if Ms. T had shared Polyvore with her friend Ms. P.

That is when I became cool!

 Armed with tablets and smart phones, these charming girls started raving about how cool Polyvore was and how cool I was to have shared it with them and how did I even know about it anyway Mrs. Kinsman?

Since Ms. P asked, I shared that I had been asked to write a post on my blog for No Nonsense leggings or tights and part of the requirements for this paid opportunity was to make a Polyvore board.

Double coolness washed over me as these girls gave me, yes me! all manner of attention and asked me tons of questions about blogging and even my opinion on fashion. 

When was the last time you got to talk about your job to the under 14 crowd and keep their attention for more than a second?

Pause for a moment Moms and share my coolness moment… yeah, it felt good!

Ms. T and Ms. P shared their boards and pins with me. Ms. P even shared a site I hadn’t ever heard of, it’s that cool and so totally non-Mom! 

I have it bookmarked for later. 

And I had to give Ms. M. permission to design on my Polyvore account as well.

 I really like their collections so far.

Will this coolness last? I don’t know. I will be happy with just nice Mom status. But I do know of this place called Beso  I’ve been eyeing that has awesome home décor, fashion and beauty I might have to share soon. 

Stay tuned.

If you are hooked on Pinterest and you like fashion and beauty, you will quickly become hooked on Polyvore too. Feel free to follow me at either place and don’t forget to let you teen and tween know where you are pinning. You might just be a Cool Mom for it.

You're welcome. 

Leave a comment with your user name at either place so I can follow you back!

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link to Beso. If you click on certain links, I may receive compensation. Not enough to buy a donut though. :-)

It is so sad but true: Mother Nature is going to wreck another Halloween for some. Our hearts and prayers go out to all who have been affected by Hurricane/Tropical Cyclone Sandy. 

I was thinking about how blessed we are here in middle Tennessee, where the worst thing that will happen is that my daughters will have to wear their winter coats to go trick or treating.  Actually, we go trunk or treating at our church.  

If you have never tried trunk or treating, I highly recommend it. Trunk or treating is a fun, safe alternative to walking or driving in rural neighborhoods like ours.  We just bring our pumpkins, decorate our trunk, (but you don’t have too) bring candy and walk around the parking lot. Our church sets up a big grill so you can B.Y.O.M. (bring your own meat), so it’s a real family affair.  One of the best things about this option for me is it allows teens to stay with families and have fun too.   

Speaking of teens, did you know that about 19% of Americans surveyed by Nextdoor.com  think that 13 is the cut off age for trick or treating? I don’t agree because I know how my 13 year old daughter would feel if she were told she was too old to participate.  She is still having fun being a kid! Why rush her into growing up? 

What do you think is a good cut off age? 

I’m thinking by the time my daughter turns 16; we will have to brainstorm an alternative. Maybe she would rather host a pizza party/candy exchange. Maybe she will volunteer to help out at the trunk or treat event at church. We have time to sort it out. 

 I would love to hear what you do with your older teen!  For now, my family will go out and enjoy ourselves for a few hours. 

Does your family celebrate Halloween? 

Whatever you and your family do this Halloween, please stay safe, watch out for those fast moving kiddies and remember to smile and have fun in the moment. Treasure the memories you are making!