Miscellaneous

They’ve asked me a million times. I told them that all I want it to sleep in. It’s documented on this video with Freschetta and now on Care.com. Isn’t pretty obvious when it’s all over the Internet? Ok, I want more than a few extra minutes of snooze time. I want a day with my little girls. I want to play. I want to enjoy being a mommy!
Care.com asked 9 bloggers, who also are moms, what they really want for Mother’s Day. The responses were great. What’s best, is their response to what they’ll actually get! What do I ask for and expect to get? I noticed a common thread of sleep, no cooking and alone time. Do you relate? What are your wishes for Mother’s Day? What will you actually get?
Wishing each of you a wonderful Mother’s Day!

 

Freschetta’s Rally for Real Moms got personal. This mom-centered campaign recognizes the role of mom, her needs, her wants and emotions. I recently sat down with the Freschetta team and shared my thoughts on motherhood and Mother’s Day. Did you know that last year my water broke on Mother’s Day? That’s a Mother’s Day that I will never forget!
Enjoy this special video filled with love from moms just like you! Can you spot me? Hint: I’m seen 3 times!

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School time is wrapping up. Put away the school attire because summer is approaching. It’s time to restock the closets with pieces that will withstand the heat, summer play and still be fashionable. Finding an affordable summer wardrobe for the kids is necessary for a Smart Mama.
This summer fashions are bright. They’re bold. Think back to the neon jellies you wore to the beach in the late 80s. They’re back. Using bright, sparkly accessories, including shoes, belts and hair clips, girls will be styling as they hit the playground, pool and grandma’s house. Shorts of all length are essential. Pull up shorts are best for running around at camp. Straight, buttoned shorts paired with a top and sandals is ideal for other occasions.
Boys are styling, too. Their shorts maintain the cargo feel with bright colors of cardinal red, tangerine and navy blue. A fedora hat can …

If it’s priced right it will sell. We hear that advice from selling a house, to a car to anything on EBAY.
Determining the right price for selling on EBAY is best done through completed listings in the advanced search. Through the complete listings, you learn the history of items similar to your item. You learn how they were listed, how they sold and much, much more.
Completed listings information is powerful for top EBAY sellers, believe me, it’s what the EBAY Money Makers are using.  Tristan, founder of TheEbayEntrepeneur.com, considers using the completed listing as his #1 selling tool. “Completed listing are a must-have for me. I faithfully use that feature on the EBAY mobile app when shopping for items to sell,” explained Windy, an EBAY Money Maker and blogger at WindyLou.com. …

The Crock Country Chronicles (say that 3xs fast) is getting “smarter” with its newest correspondent, Smarty Pants Mama! Yes, Crock Country Chronicles, Country Crock’s online newspaper will get a dose of my ideas each month! The newspaper is full of creativity, recipes and more to make meal time – especially veggie eating time – a more positive, successful experience in your home. I will regularly post articles on the chronicle and here about veggie eating successes in my home. I look forward to you sharing your experiences, too!
Earlier this month I joined three other fantastic moms, Laura of RealMomKitchen.com, Toni of TheHappyHousewife.com and Anne of CookingWithAnne.com in New York City for a Very Veggie World event by Country Crock. The few days were filled with loads of great conversation and delicious dining …

Eyes wide open. See the sites. The weather is gorgeous. There is so much to enjoy in and around Miami.
The year at the infamous Great Taste of the Grove, Transition Lenses will help you keep those sightseeing eyes in check with a FREE vision screening and more!
The Sights of Miami
Miami is filled with some of the most beautiful attractions. The sights are breathtaking. As a tourist or resident, a camera on hand is always necessary when visiting the Miami area. Three sights that have caught my eye and camera are Ocean Drive, the Everglades and the Deering Estate. Here’s why…

Breathtaking views of the of the art deco architecture as you stroll down Ocean Drive in South Beach is always a must. It is one of the most popular attractions in this area and you understand why at first glance.The classic architecture melded with the …

We learned through experience what to do when making the Rice Krispie Hidden Surprise Easter Egg Treats. These tips will help you keep this experience a tradition you’ll look forward to each year.

Cooking Spray! Rice Krispie treat batter is sticky, very sticky! As you mold the eggs and press them in to the plastic egg shell be sure to spray your hands – BIG TIME – before each molding or else you’ll end up a sticky mess!
Have materials ready! This is a standard craft and cooking tip, but when dealing with sticky materials, it’s much easier to grab the M&Ms out of a bowl than opening the bag and grabbing from inside.
It’s okay if they fall apart! You are not Betty Crocker, Martha Stewart or June Cleaver. Your eggs aren’t going to be perfect. One egg may look more like a pancake, or fall apart after …

Rearranging your office can happen on a whim and other times forced. Whether you just get in that mood to rearrange everything – we’ve all been there – or you’re getting new office furniture, the opportunity to make some easy changes to the room you spend much time in can be very helpful.
Wireless is an Extra
A hard connection, using an ethernet cable, is the preferred method of accessing your network. We all love and depend on wireless but when at home and at your desk, it is ideal to have your router nearby so you can connect your desktop or laptop via ethernet. This is especially important when uploading/downloading large files where optimal speed is in need!
The router will serve as the “home base” of your network, allowing you to connect via ethernet or wirelessly as many components as you need. Both my router and modem sit …

I love my job because I don’t commute. Commuting is the pits. There are so many dangers faced in commuting – especially long commutes. The reality is that most do. My husband commuted 2 hours – each way – for several months last year. It was horrible. No part of it was good. I worried about him so much. Would he be too tired? Would he encounter a lot of traffic? Would there be a distracted driver alongside him? Those months have thankfully ended as he now has a much more manageable commute. I thank God for that.
Commuting is a fact of life. What are the pluses to it? I have to say if it meant the difference between having and not having a job, well then I’ll be the 1st to run to the car! The data is impressive. Commuters are impacted by their drive in so many …

Sequins are the latest fashion trend. Layering with sequins an easy way to glam-up a mom’s wardrobe. A stunning Baby Phat jacket was shown on the Today show as a way to be Sexier in Seconds….sequins were the top accessory for that! Time to dig out the sequins!

Trash or Treasure? – With tags or gently used, it’s ready for you to buy or sell!
Don’t have any sequin tops stashed in the back of your closet? Not all of us do. Before you pay near $100 for the Baby Phat jacket, you need to 1st check out eBay. Remember the old saying, “one person’s trash, is another person’s treasure.” Looking for a classic comeback fashion trend, like sequins, is perfect for the eBay shopper. While you may be 1st in line to buy a new sequin top, someone else might be anxious to get rid …

Makes me giggle….

There are many ways to stay on top of recent product recalls issued by the Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC.)  As a Smart Mama, it is your responsibility to be aware of products that are potentially dangerous in the home of your children.  Easier said than done, when you’re a soccer mom with about a gazillion other important parenting matters consuming your days.
Over the coming weeks I will highlight the various ways

We thought we would always remember the special moments of pregnancy.  We’ve seen beautiful hardcover journals and more to document the daily happenings of our pregnancy.  We swore we would take out the book, find a pen and write (in our best handwriting of course) our pregnancy happenings. I’ve tried to, but it never happens.
We’ve called the crew, from mom to mother in law and everyone in between at the sense of the 1st kick or after each sonogram.  Time spent on the phone is ridiculous at times, especially with a toddler yanking your leg or dinner burning on the stove.

Between the dozens of doctor’s appointments, errands to run, a job to keep and possibly chasing after one or more little munchkins, your down time is usually spent here, online catching up on Facebook, checking in on your registry or just Googling some random thing.
Mama Memoirs (MamaMemoirs.com) …

I experienced a true #FAIL this week!  Look at my phone!
Yes, the thought to be indestructible Otterbox that was to keep my iPhone safe from falls and children, didn’t do its job!  Frustrating!  Last night I was carrying the phone upstairs and lost grip of it and down it went.  I saw it land and immediately recognized the cracked appearance and a tear went down my face!  This phone had sustained my daughter’s not so careful approaching to playing with the phone, the sticky fingers of kids and much, much more.  Why did this final drop end it all?  I was so bummed.  But then, ding ding ding, I remembered something about a warranty with Otterbox.  Something that guarantee their device.  I went to bed last night thinking that just a quick call to the company with my receipt in hand, would get me the new screen …

Mommy, can I have a pancake on a popsicle?
Bet your child didn’t ask you that this morning!
Jimmy Dean has created what I consider a mother’s solution to eating on the run, the Jimmy D’s Griddle Stick!  This pancake on a stick has a delicious turkey sausage in the middle.  After just 60 seconds in the microwave your child is holding their breakfast and ready to munch on the run. The 160 calories and 7 grams of protein also they make Smart Mama happy, too!  The griddle sticks sell for about $4.99 and come with 6 in a box.

I had my first griddle stick at BlogHer, a conference for bloggers, this past August. I was captivated by its design and most importantly nutritional content.  My family loves pancakes and turkey sausage. How great would it be, I wondered? Fantastic! Ideal for moms, ideal for kids …

These are the Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC) recalls that have been issued from August 11 –17, 2010.
As a reminder:
In February 1996, CPSC issued guidelines(pdf) (which were incorporated into an industry voluntary standard in 1997) to help prevent children from strangling or getting entangled in the neck and waist drawstrings in upper garments, such as jackets or sweatshirts.
Be sure to check old hand-me-downs for this!
You can find even more detailed information on all recalled products mentioned below on CPSC.gov.
All information below comes directly from the CPSC website.
1.  Name of Product: Wooden Toy Rattles
Hazard: The wooden dowels can be installed at an angle, allowing the metal rattle inside to become exposed. This poses a serious choking hazard to young children.
Description: This recall involves a wooden toy rattle with light brown stain, eight wooden dowels and a gold-colored metal rattle inside. The toy rattle is circular in shape, measuring …

This classic repetitive chant is a perfect distraction on traffic filled days. This morning we faced fierce rain and tons of traffic on our way to camp.  A long drawn out game of “We’re Going on a Picnic” helped distract both mommy and the kid!
In the classic game players take turns repeating “We’re going on a picnic and we’re going to bring…” Each player adds a new item that starts with a different letter of the alphabet.  You begin with an item that starts with the letter A. The next player repeats the chant, the letter A item and adds a B item. You continue chanting the chorus, repeating every item in alphabetical order that has been included thus far and then your added a new item.  It’s a great game can get humorous a times when Grandpa and a llama are included in the picnic!

An elevator pitch. What’s that? In as few words as possible sell yourself/your product.  It should leave the listener yearning to learn more.  It must be concise and to the point, ridding the blah-blah we tend to elaborate.  Over the next 31 days I’m participating in ProBlogger’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog course through the ladies from SITS on BlogFrog. I look forward to finding ways to fine tune SmartyPantsMama.com to make it the very best for my fabulous readers.

So what’s SmartyPantsMama.com’s elevator pitch?  Good question!  I’ve had ‘becoming a Smart Mama one piece at a time’ as my tagline for some time.  It’s my tagline, not my pitch.  I’ve always liked it. I think the puzzle piece learning  theme makes sense. But, again, what is my pitch? How do I answer the question, so what’s your blog about?
Here …

It’s been some time, and I was thinking I was due for a FRIDAY FOLLOW!  I’ve undergone quite of bit of remodeling, my site my me, in the last few months.  All the great stuff is still here just organized a wee bit different!  Recall Wednesday, is still the #1 feature each week, when I publish the latest CPSC recalls.

Please use these 3 buttons above to follow me!

What a great party!  My feet hurt, my head hurts and I’m craving fried food!
Great party, great times!  Thank you 5MinutesforMom for organizing such a huge event!
All in all, my favorite sites that I learned about during this fabulous fiesta are:
Little Tech Girl: great techy advice for moms!
Dayngrous Discourse :  a fellow South Florida blogger!
The Amateur Kitchen: delicious recipes to fill the tummies of the family!
Really happy to have the opportunity to meet so many new bloggers!

 
Welcome Ultimate Bog Party 2010 party goers! 
We’re ready to party in this house!
If this is your first time visiting SmartyPantsMama.com you need to look around, if this is not your first, I insist that you do too!  I’ve got lots to show you! 
First, come this way to see my latest Recall Wednesday posting.  Each Wednesday I post, with pictures, the latest CPSC product recalls.  Checking them out each week is a very Smart Mama thing to do!
Next stop is my About Me since I’m sure you are dying to know who is the face behind the cartoon face! 
Alrighty, now let’s take a look at my latest product review (Le Baby Hair Gel) and my latest giveaway (CLIF ZBar and Twisted Fruit Assortment box)!  Both items are pretty essential for Smart Mamas, so be sure to visit! 
Now for …

 

“Here hubby, in this bowl place your keys, watch and wallet everyday.”
I guess the bowl wasn’t obvious enough!

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Are you kidding me?  At noon, on a Friday, let’s park the tractor trailer in the NO LOADING/FIRE LANE of a ridiculously congested parking lot!  Why am I surprised to see this in South Florida?  I shouldn’t be!

Happy Friday!!! So happy to have you here! Please look around! Check out this week’s CPSC product recalls on Recall Wednesday or learn how I unearthed the George Foreman after oh so many years!
I invite you to FOLLOW me via TWITTER, GOOGLE CONNECT , FEED BURNER and/or NETWORKED BLOGS!
I look forward to following you too!

Thanks for stopping by!

I welcome you to follow SmartyPantsMama.com via Twitter, Networked Blog, RSS Feed or Google Connect!

So happy to have you become a Smart Mama with me!